22 October 2021
The Australian Banking Association (ABA) stands ready to assist the newly established Regional Banking Taskforce.
For more than 200 years, banks in Australia have provided essential services to customers across the country, and that commitment continues today.
As more Australians prefer to do their banking online, banks are investing in new digital services to meet their needs.
Anna Bligh, Chief Executive Officer at the ABA, said the banking industry continues to provide banking support for regional and rural communities in Australia.
“Australian banks remain committed to providing banking services to every Australian, especially those in regional and remote areas,” Ms Bligh said.
“Despite more than 80 per cent of Australians preferring to do their everyday banking online, banks still have thousands of branches across the country, in addition to the banking services that banks pay to make available in 3500 Australia Post outlets.”
“Recent APRA data shows that the overwhelming majority of bank branch closures in the past year have been in major cities, and not in regional areas.”
Australian banks remain committed to providing banking services to every Australian, especially those in regional and remote areas,”
ABA CEO Anna Bligh
Where branches are closed, it’s because customers no longer need to do their banking face to face.
“As the world we live in continues to become more digitalised, the way customers want to do their banking is following the same trend,” Ms Bligh said.
“Banking online platforms and apps are so incredibly advanced these days, most Australians are carrying around a bank branch in their pockets.”
“The ABA will work with the Regional Banking Taskforce to highlight the improvements in bank services to all Australians, especially those in regional areas.”
Latest news
E&OERadio InterviewInterview on ABC Sydney Drive21 September 2026 Topics: Refinancing and competition in the home loan market; Hardship support Thomas Oriti: Now, have you had to refinance your mortgage, perhaps because of rising interest rates, or maybe something else? Maybe your work situation changed, and you weren’t bringing in as much money. What was that… Read more »
Banks will better detect, prevent and respond to financial abuse under an updated industry guideline released today by the Australian Banking Association. The ABA has brought together separate resources on financial abuse, including elder abuse and family and domestic violence into a single framework, building on existing industry guidance and supporting the financial abuse provisions… Read more »
The ABA and its member banks are reminding businesses to make sure they are ready for the upcoming Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) card surcharge reforms which take effect from 1 October 2026. These changes mean: ABA CEO Simon Birmingham said banks were supporting business customers to prepare for these changes, along with implementing the… Read more »