Older members of the Aboriginal community are being put at a particular disadvantage by regional bank closures the CEO of Murrin Bridge Aboriginal Land Council Judith Bartholomew has told the Western Plains App. 

Lake Cargelligo along with Warren and Gilgandra are three towns which mid last year lost their NAB branches, 

“Our elders are struggling they don't have the knowledge for internet banking and they don't have computers to access internet banking” Ms Bartholomew told the Western Plains App. 

“They have trouble because most of our elders only still have passport books so they struggle when they do into the post office to withdraw money”. 

Image: Visitnsw. 

She said her town now just has a Bendigo Bank and a Commonwealth Bank open in her town. 

Her comments come as an RMIT-led report highlights the negative effects of local bank closures are further compounded by the lack of affordable and reliable internet in regional and remote communities.  

Led by RMIT and Swinburne University researchers in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S), the submission was made to the Senate inquiry into regional bank branch closures. 

It found remote First Nations communities still rely on face-to-face interactions with their banks, despite the growing prevalence of online banking.  

Project lead and Distinguished Professor Julian Thomas said in-person interactions were especially important for complex banking tasks and tackling elder abuse, scams and fraud.  

“The quality, reliability and cost of internet in remote areas also pose challenges for these communities, making going to a branch to speak to a person even more crucial,” Thomas said. 

PHOTO: Judith Bartholomew. Image: Lachlan Shire Council. 

“By removing banks in regional areas, it potentially disadvantages an already vulnerable community from accessing basic necessities such as financial services - impacting their independence.”  

Previous RMIT research for the ADM+S Centre found remote First Nations communities were among the most digitally excluded people in Australia.  

The “Mapping the Digital Gap” 2023 Outcomes Report found a significant gap in digital inclusion for First Nations people compared with other Australians, which widens substantially with remoteness. 

Sonya Graham, acting CEO from the Gilgandra Land Council told the Western Plains App that it meant people often had to travel from Gilgandra and surrounds into Dubbo to do basic banking.  

Ms Bartholomew from Murrin Bridge Land Council said that NAB had attended in community meetings in Murrin Bridge in the lead up to the closing of the branch. 

“They simply told us that this is the future and we need to prepare for it. But the result is a serious disadvantage for the aboriginal community. They are finding accessing funds an ongoing struggle”.