The Australian Citizens Party has warned that reduced business hours for NAB branches across the Western Plains can only mean one thing - these branches will be closing down in the coming months.

NAB has recently reduced branch hours in 64 locations across the country, including Bourke, Cobar, Condobolin, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Lake Cargelligo, Nyngan, and Warren.

The Australian Citizens Party has described this as a “scam” that “NAB and other banks are running to justify closing branches: they reduce business hours, then claim there is less business, and then close the branch” Robert Barwick, Research Director of the Australian Citizens Party told the Western Plains App.

“NAB was the only Big Four bank to refuse point-blank the request of the Senate committee currently inquiring into bank closures in regional Australia to pause further branch closures pending the outcome of the inquiry.”

While CBA complied, Westpac paused half of its planned closures, and ANZ pledged not to plan more closures, NAB replied to Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee Chair Matt Canavan: “We will be continuing our branch reshaping process during the Committee’s deliberations in 2023, which will include closures, consolidations and new investments to meet our customers’ needs.”

Robert Barwick. Source: Supplied.

NAB said this was “in the best interest of NAB colleagues working in branches and on behalf of our customers and shareholders.”

“Essentially, their program is to push us all online,” Barwick told the Western Plains App.

“Usually private businesses make money from providing services; they want to make a profit while pushing us all online and having us all do the work ourselves.

"The problem with that is in rural areas, the less reliable the connectivity. There’s also a range of scams out there that particularly older people are terrified of and therefore may not feel comfortable getting online.”

The Australian Citizens Party wants the government to act in two ways.

The first they say is there should be a “community service obligation” imposed on the banks by the government.

The second is that “We advocate bringing back a government-owned bank. We think the post office would be a great place for that. It would pose a series threat to banks. The post office has the biggest retail footprint in Australia”.

“The Senate Inquiry is looking at the full picture to see what is going on. I would encourage people to get involved in this.”

The Western Plains App explicitly asked NAB if it was going to close those branches; it responded with, “We’re aware of a recent online post about NAB’s branch network. In branches with shorter hours, we use the afternoon period to serve our customers across Australia over the phone or via chat, and we are continuing with this approach.”

The Western Plains App asked again if they would be closing branches, and NAB did not respond.

Submissions to the Senate Inquiry into Bank Closures in Regional Australia are due by 28 April 2023.