Queensland community leaders slam National Australian Bank branch closures in Inglewood and Mitchell

Community leaders have lashed out after NAB announced branch closures in regional Queensland which has left one town without a bank, calling into question the future of regional banking.

Leaders across southern and western Queensland have banded together in a show of unity to criticise the closure of two National Australia Bank branches in regional Queensland.

The alarming precedent of closing the bank branches at several rural locations has led to mayors of regional centres to publicly speak out about the closure announcement.

Both the Mitchell and Inglewood NAB branches are set to close on October 19 2023, with concerns the decision sets a ‘grim precedent’ for the future of regional banking and diminishes financial investment and confidence in these communities.

Goondiwindi region mayor Lawrence Springborg condemned the move and urgently asked the bank publicly to “reconsider” the announcement.

“There is currently a Senate inquiry into the extent of bank closures in regional Australia, and the Senate representatives asked all banks to halt decisions about regional bank closures until after the inquiry report is tabled in December 2023,” Mr Springborg said.

He said he found it “questionable” that the bank has since made the decision to close the Inglewood branch.

The NAB Inglewood branch which is set to close on October 19, 2023.

“It is likely that customers will now need to travel around a 200km round trip to undertake some of their banking services,” he said.

“I’m really concerned for the many elderly residents and socially disadvantaged people within the Inglewood community.

“Elderly members within our community are fearful of scammers and fraudulent activity over the phone or internet services for banking purposes.

“It’s therefore no surprise that this decision has sparked concern within the community.

“It’s a grim precedent that locals fear in major regional centres, such as Goondiwindi, Warwick, Dalby and Stanthorpe, who all have NAB branches.

“Access to banking services is absolutely critical to regional towns. Banking services are critical to the functionality of a town, with many business habits such as opening and closing times and shopping habits aligning to bank operations.”

Goondiwindi region Mayor Lawrence Springborg said the closure of the Inglewood NAB branch has shaken financial confidence in the town.

Further west, Warrego MP Ann Leahy is working with the Maranoa Regional Council and the Booringa Action Group to appeal the decision to shut Mitchell’s only bank.

Ms Leahy said the news of Mitchell’s only bank closing was “devastating” and opened the door for more instances of fraud as well as disadvantaging older residents.

Further, the Mitchell post office, which would act as a replacement for in-person banking, lacks disability access.

“It’s very short notice given the advice I received that they’ll close in October,” Ms Leahy said.

“There’s no disability access to the post office and there’s no time to put disability access in place.

“Customers already travel an hour into Mitchell, now they’ll have to go to Charleville or Roma.

“Holding cash and floats creates a security risk for local businesses and volunteers who have to hold more cash on hand because they cannot easily access the bank when they require more than $2000 per day.

“There’s certainly potential for a banking model (in regional Queensland), the model from the big four banks just don’t fit well into small communities.”

State member for Warrego Ann Leahy said the Mitchell branch closure “discriminates” against older residents and opens the door for more fraudulent scams.

Maranoa mayor Tyson Golder said he was “disappointed” to hear of the closure and called on NAB to reverse their decision.

“I have asked NAB to work with council to come up with a solution not to close, proposing alternative options like instead of sponsoring a sporting event, sponsor our community in Mitchell by reversing the closure,” Mr Golder said.

“We understand the importance of having accessible banking services for residents and business, and we need urgent measures to address the situation.

The NAB Mitchell branch which is set to close on October 19, 2023.

“We are facing a challenging situation, but I am confident that, together, we will find solutions. Our community’s wellbeing is our utmost priority, and we will work closely to find a sustainable solution.”

Together Ms Leahy, the Maranoa Regional Council and the Booringa Action Group are hosting a community meeting in Mitchell hall open to all local residents on August 15 at 5.30pm with hopes to appeal NAB’s decision and to come up with alternatives for customers.

On an official NAB fact sheet, the company said the shift of more customers choosing to bank online has resulted in the branches closing.

“More and more, our customers are choosing to do their banking online, over the phone, or by video conference. And, as they continue to bank differently, it’s important we continue to adapt with them,” it stated.

“Because of these changes, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our NAB Mitchell Agency at 41 Cambridge Street (and NAB Inglewood Agency at 50 Albert Street, Inglewood) on Thursday, 19 October 2023.

“Of course, we’ll keep helping you bank in other ways, and make sure this change is as smooth as possible for you.”