22 May 2020
The ABA has set up a natural disasters work program that reports to our 16 Council members in order to clarify, strengthen and streamline the banking industry’s response to natural disasters to ensure that they have the right tools for the job at the right time.
By the beginning of March 2020, the major banks had provided bushfire assistance grants totalling $7.6 million to more than 4,000 customers across Australia. The banks had also raised more than $42 million in donations to help devastated communities and assisted more than 3,500 customers with financial relief packages of the types described below.
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The ABA strongly supports extension of the exemption for a period of a further two years to 3 October 2026 and requests the Treasury explore making the exemption permanent to ensure certainty and reduce regulatory restrictions and barriers for small businesses seeking access to credit.
Banks play an active role to support customers during natural disasters. ABA’s submission is made in two parts, first, outlining banks’ active support of customers during natural disasters and second, responding to the questions in respect to impacts of insurance unaffordability put to the ABA.
Banks continue to strongly support measures to allow companies and registered schemes to fulfil their legal obligations to hold meetings and execute documents using electronic means under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). The ABA makes four key recommendations, including providing optionality for companies to host AGMs in either hybrid or wholly online formats; amendments to… Read more »