Commonwealth Bank postpones Junee branch closure following senate inquiry announcement

The Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport references committee was last week tasked with investigating regional bank closures, with numerous branches shutting down over the last few decades.

While there was no moratorium imposed on banks already earmarked to close, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) said they would postpone all branch closures until after the inquiry.

"Following consideration of a request from the Senate committee, CBA will not close any regional branches while the Inquiry is underway in 2023," the spokesperson said.

"As an additional sign of good faith, while the inquiry is underway in 2023, CBA will postpone the closure of two branches already announced."

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Lifelong Junee resident Maisie Robinson, 88, said it was good news for the town.

"I've been with the Junee Commonwealth Bank for 80 years, and I don't want them to close," she said. "Everyone in town was upset by it."

Junee mayor Neil Smith said the outcome was a "reprieve", with CBA yet to reverse their decision.

"It's not over yet, the inquiry is going to be held, and we'll certainly be there pushing hard with our views and insights," he said. "I really want to encourage people to follow through - keep up the fight."

Member for the Riverina Michael McCormack, who has been outspoken about the issue since CBA first announced it would close the Junee branch, said the reprieve was "a stop gap measure".

"While I welcome the announcement, I don't think it will give the assurances to the Junee community that they're seeking," he said.

"They want to be able to keep their branch open and keep banking services in their hometown, and not have to jump in a car and drive a round trip of 84 kilometres to be able to use a bank."

When Mrs Robinson first received a letter from CBA announcing its plans to close Junee's branch, she was on the phone with the area manager immediately to express her displeasure.

Last week, she was also one of about 100 residents who protested the bank's impending closure, earmarked for March 3.

"Not everyone can drive to Wagga, not everyone has a computer," Mrs Robinson said.

"We want cash, not everyone wants to use a card."

The senate committee will submit a final report on regional bank closures in December.

CBA said it is looking forward to assisting with the inquiry, and welcomes "constructive engagement" with stakeholders.

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