Bendigo Bank: East Gippsland Shire backflip on subsidy for Omeo agency

There is a glimmer of hope Omeo will keep its face-to-face banking agency. Read the latest developments.

The fate of the only face-to-face banking service on the Great Alpine Road between Bright and Bairnsdale has been put back in the hands of the Bendigo Bank.

East Gippsland Shire has backflipped on initial plans to withdraw a $30,000 subsidy paid to Bendigo Bank for an agency in Omeo.

The shire committed to continuing subsidising the high country agency, which operates out of the council-owned serviced centre, on a 12-month trial basis.

Bendigo Bank opened in Omeo after the closure of two other banks in the town. Picture: Cameron Bates

But the trial model is believed to include the agency being open for three days.

The Bendigo Bank confirmed to The Weekly Times it was reviewing a proposal from the shire to keep the agency open before making a final call on maintaining its presence in the town.

The shire’s general manager of business excellence Peter Cannizarro told a council meeting this week that the Bendigo Bank was “receptive to a recommended model going forward”.

The Bendigo Bank agency opened when two other banks in town shut.

Pauline Connley, from nearby Benambra, collected a petition of more than 60 signatories opposing the closure.

She was concerned what the closure would mean for older residents who struggled to access alternative banking facilities at the Omeo post office.

“There are lot of people who get around on wheelie walkers and a couple in wheelchairs and they can’t get into the post office,” she said.

“What would they do if it shut?”

She said it would also be difficult for community organisations to access cash for annual events such as the Omeo Show if the agency closed.