Member for Corangamite Libby Coker has again hit out at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s decision to close its Drysdale branch.
Minister Coker delivered a speech in the Federal Chamber of Parliament this week, calling the decision a “bitter blow for the people of Drysdale, coming in the wake of the National Australia Bank closing its Drysdale branch earlier this year”.
“The closure will especially impact those who are less skilled at online banking, or who don’t even have access to online technologies,” she said.
The CBA says the Drysdale Post Office outlet will now handle withdrawals and deposits on its behalf. However, there are times when people need to go into a branch for personal assistance. Many banking transactions are more complex than simple deposits or withdrawals.
“To announce that the Drysdale branch will now become part of the Ocean Grove Branch, 15km away, is not only impractical, it’s insulting to the many loyal Drysdale customers.
“I’m not only concerned for the elderly, but also for those with disability. For them travel is not always practical or possible.
“I am also concerned about the future of staff at the banks. It’s hard to fathom why this is happening when both the CBA and the NAB banks are making bumper multi-billion-dollar profits. As are the other big banks.
“Transitioning to internet banking might make sense to the executives in head offices, but it is disenfranchising vulnerable groups in my electorate.”
Only ATMs will be left from Friday September 9 as the CBA Drysdale branch itself closes its doors.
CBA regional manager David Castle said the closure was a “difficult decision”.
“This branch has had transactions drop by a third over the five years before the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.
“We’ve redeployed the vast majority of staff from branches that have closed. Our people from the Drysdale branch will be offered redeployment opportunities, including roles supporting customers over the phone and online, or other comparable roles where it suits them.
“We recognise some senior customers prefer to do their banking face-to-face and this is one of the reasons why CBA is proud to maintain the largest branch network in the country.
“We’ve ensured customers who prefer over-the-counter service still have access to this option. For Drysdale customers, we have other branches in the region at Ocean Grove, Geelong, Geelong West and Belmont. We’ve found a quarter of customers from Drysdale are already visiting these other branches.”
