‘It’s turning its back on locals’: Customers outraged by major bank’s branch closure
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In an age where digital convenience is often celebrated, the importance of face-to-face service and community presence cannot be overstated, especially for our senior Australians.
The recent announcement of branch closures by some of Australia's major banks has sparked outrage among customers, particularly those residing in Greater Western Sydney, who feel they've been left in the lurch without proper consultation.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has been a fixture in the Doonside community of Greater Western Sydney for nearly 60 years, providing essential banking services to residents, small business owners, and families.
However, the community was dealt a heavy blow when it was announced that the local CBA branch would be closing its doors on 29 November.
This move has been met with fierce criticism from locals and politicians alike, with Blacktown MP Stephen Bali saying, ‘The Commonwealth bank is not only turning its back on the locals, it’s turning its back and destroying the local business community.’'
The decision to close the branch was made 'without any consultation’, according to MP Bali, leaving many to wonder if their loyalty to the bank was misplaced.
The closure is part of a broader trend, with CBA having shut down more than 350 branches across the country between 2018 and February 2024 and axing 54 per cent of its ATMs in the last five years.
Doonside residents were invited to visit nearby larger branches, which posed significant challenges for those without easy access to transportation.
MP Bali said Doonside is home to ‘approximately 10,000 people aged over 60 or people identified with long-term chronic health issues’ who are now ‘being forced to travel return trip of at least half-hour to a major shopping centre to undertake their banking needs’.
He added that ‘local observations indicate that an average of 60-80 people a day go to the bank or approximately 20,000 people transactions a year’, which meant that Doonside still needs a bank branch.
‘(The) local newsagency has a subagency as a post office, and the CBA expects this small business to be a sub-subagency for bank that generates 20,000 transactions,’ he said.
‘Westpoint Blacktown, Mount Druitt and Seven Hills Shopping Centre branches are popular banking centres for the Doonside community, and as a result, we’ve invested $5.1 million to expand our services for customers in the area,’ CBA stated.
‘These are larger branches, with more staff at each location, including home lending specialists, business bankers, and access to convenient self-service technology.’
‘We remain committed to maintaining the largest branch network in the country and warmly welcome our Doonside customers to our nearby branches.’
The situation in Doonside is not an isolated incident.
Over 70 kilometres away, in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, ANZ has also closed its only branch, leaving an 80,000-person population with limited banking options.
The nearest branches are almost 90 minutes to two hours away by car, and for those unable to drive or use public transport, the alternative is online banking—a solution that is not feasible for everyone, particularly older residents who may not be as tech-savvy.
Local resident Michael, who has spent his life working with his hands, expressed his frustration, 'I’ve spent my whole life working with my hands. I can make anything.’
‘But you think I can operate that phone? I can't even turn on the computer.'
ANZ has responded by stating that branch transactions ‘have halved over the past five years’.
‘Today just one per cent of all transactions are done over-the-counter and almost four million customers use our mobile banking App,’ the statement read.
‘Since we announced the closure of the branch earlier this year, we have been working with our Katoomba branch customers to ensure they are well supported and aware of all the ways they can complete their banking, including using nearby branches, local ATMs, phone banking, or our team of community-based bankers, like mobile lenders.’
‘In June 2024, ANZ confirmed that we will maintain our regional branch numbers throughout Australia for three years.’
Have you found alternative solutions that work for you? How has your community been impacted? Let us know in the comments below.
The recent announcement of branch closures by some of Australia's major banks has sparked outrage among customers, particularly those residing in Greater Western Sydney, who feel they've been left in the lurch without proper consultation.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has been a fixture in the Doonside community of Greater Western Sydney for nearly 60 years, providing essential banking services to residents, small business owners, and families.
However, the community was dealt a heavy blow when it was announced that the local CBA branch would be closing its doors on 29 November.
Commonwealth Bank’s Doonside branch will be closing its doors on 29 November, sparking fury among customers. Credit: Shutterstock
This move has been met with fierce criticism from locals and politicians alike, with Blacktown MP Stephen Bali saying, ‘The Commonwealth bank is not only turning its back on the locals, it’s turning its back and destroying the local business community.’'
The decision to close the branch was made 'without any consultation’, according to MP Bali, leaving many to wonder if their loyalty to the bank was misplaced.
The closure is part of a broader trend, with CBA having shut down more than 350 branches across the country between 2018 and February 2024 and axing 54 per cent of its ATMs in the last five years.
Doonside residents were invited to visit nearby larger branches, which posed significant challenges for those without easy access to transportation.
MP Bali said Doonside is home to ‘approximately 10,000 people aged over 60 or people identified with long-term chronic health issues’ who are now ‘being forced to travel return trip of at least half-hour to a major shopping centre to undertake their banking needs’.
He added that ‘local observations indicate that an average of 60-80 people a day go to the bank or approximately 20,000 people transactions a year’, which meant that Doonside still needs a bank branch.
‘(The) local newsagency has a subagency as a post office, and the CBA expects this small business to be a sub-subagency for bank that generates 20,000 transactions,’ he said.
‘Westpoint Blacktown, Mount Druitt and Seven Hills Shopping Centre branches are popular banking centres for the Doonside community, and as a result, we’ve invested $5.1 million to expand our services for customers in the area,’ CBA stated.
‘These are larger branches, with more staff at each location, including home lending specialists, business bankers, and access to convenient self-service technology.’
‘We remain committed to maintaining the largest branch network in the country and warmly welcome our Doonside customers to our nearby branches.’
The situation in Doonside is not an isolated incident.
MP Stephen Bali criticised the closure of the Doonside Branch of CBA. Credit: Stephen Bali / YouTube
Over 70 kilometres away, in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, ANZ has also closed its only branch, leaving an 80,000-person population with limited banking options.
The nearest branches are almost 90 minutes to two hours away by car, and for those unable to drive or use public transport, the alternative is online banking—a solution that is not feasible for everyone, particularly older residents who may not be as tech-savvy.
Local resident Michael, who has spent his life working with his hands, expressed his frustration, 'I’ve spent my whole life working with my hands. I can make anything.’
‘But you think I can operate that phone? I can't even turn on the computer.'
ANZ has responded by stating that branch transactions ‘have halved over the past five years’.
‘Today just one per cent of all transactions are done over-the-counter and almost four million customers use our mobile banking App,’ the statement read.
‘Since we announced the closure of the branch earlier this year, we have been working with our Katoomba branch customers to ensure they are well supported and aware of all the ways they can complete their banking, including using nearby branches, local ATMs, phone banking, or our team of community-based bankers, like mobile lenders.’
‘In June 2024, ANZ confirmed that we will maintain our regional branch numbers throughout Australia for three years.’
