Page 204 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 12 February 2020
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What Samantha and Juliette have done is so special and we are so lucky as a community now and into the future to have had such a talented author and such a brilliant illustrator capture the many gorgeous aspects and experiences of our city so expertly. I truly hope that is just their first collaboration celebrating our home.
Weston Creek—bank closure
MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee—Minister for City Services, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Recycling and Waste Reduction, Minister for Roads and Active Travel and Minister for Transport) (5.04): I am standing today to raise an issue that has come up in relation to the closure of the Weston branch of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. On 6 February I received a letter from the Commonwealth Bank notifying me as the local member that the branch would be closing on 13 March this year and that the branch would effectively become part of the Woden branch of the Commonwealth Bank.
Understandably a number of people in my electorate are very concerned about the branch closing, particularly because the area of Weston Creek is the oldest in Canberra—according to the ABS it has a median age of 41—and this will impact on access to banking services. Many people in the area have to go to use banking services in person and do not have access to the internet. It also seems at odds with the growth of the Weston Creek and Molonglo region. Molonglo has currently over 7,000 residents. We are expecting that to grow to around 45,000 residents in the next 15 years or so.
At this point in time, Cooleman Court is the major shopping centre for people in Molonglo. Even once the Molonglo town centre is built, we expect that Cooleman Court will remain a place that is heavily used by Molonglo residents as well. I have written to Matt Coleman, the CEO of the Commonwealth Bank, to raise my concerns about this. A petition has been started, which is being supported by the community. We are calling on the Commonwealth Bank to reconsider their decision to close the branch on 13 March, given the growth of the region and also the social equity issues in making sure that older people who live in the region can continue to access services.
As a customer of the Commonwealth Bank myself—I have been for pretty much all of my life: my parents opened a bank account before I was born—I know that some basic services actually require you to go into the bank and fill in a hardcopy form, particularly around home loans and the like. So all people will be impacted by this decision if the closure goes ahead.
I hope the Commonwealth Bank reconsiders its decision to close the Weston branch.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
The Assembly adjourned at 5.07 pm.
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