The Federal Member for Calare, Andrew Gee, this week called on two of the big banks to immediately announce the re-opening of a Lithgow branch and the reversal of plans to halve face-to-face service provision in another.
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Gee wrote to the CEO of ANZ, Shayne Elliott, asking for confirmation of when the branch will re-open. Initially Gee slammed Elliott for not replying, Gee later confirmed the CEO had indeed written him a letter assuring him that the Lithgow branch would reopen as scheduled.
"The CEO of the ANZ Bank has confirmed to me that the bank plans to re-open the Lithgow branch in mid-April, after being without a bricks and mortar branch for the past two months," Gee wrote in a release to the media.
However there were some concessions that the CEO said may have to occur.
In his letter the CEO of ANZ has stated that staffing was an issue and that they're currently working to fill positions following some staff resignations. The Lithgow Mercury has seen the letter and can confirm its content.
"Provided we can find suitable [staff] replacements in a reasonable timeframe, we plan to reopen the branch in early April. Depending on how many roles we have been able to fill, we may need to operate on reduced hours," Mr Elliott wrote.
"The fact that the branch is recruiting new staff is a positive - however the community would not want to see "recruitment issues" used as an excuse for cutting opening times and face-to-face banking services at the Lithgow branch," Gee said.
"So while the return of the branch in April will be a win for the Lithgow community, let's wait until full service is resumed before we celebrate."
The ANZ abruptly closed its Lithgow branch on Friday, January 14, 2022 for a three-month period, without giving the community any notice of the plans.
The findings of the Australian Government's Regional Banking Taskforce are set to be released in coming weeks and Gee says he hopes it will deliver recommendations and tangible outcomes that stop this face-to-face banking exodus from regional Australia.
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