Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A good bank story! I'd like to congratulate the Clovelly Community Bank on 15 years of operation. When the local Commonwealth Bank shut down and closed its doors in the late 1990s, members of the Clovelly community came together and decided to raise awareness and capital to establish the Clovelly Community Bank. They were led by Michael DeNavi, who's been the chairman of the bank for the last 15 years. They letterboxed and doorknocked the suburb to get enough interest from locals to establish the local bank branch. It was opened in 2002 with a manager and four staff. Over the last 15 years of operation, the bank has done nearly $200 million of business and has opened literally thousands of accounts.

The branch also gives back to the local community through support for not-for-profit organisations. Over $1 million has been raised for minibuses, community gardens and educational spaces and for organisations like the Coogee Dolphins, the Purple Hearts, Waverley Action for Youth Services, the Junction Neighbourhood Centre, Windgap, and Weave youth services.

The bank continues to support over a hundred local not-for-profit organisations. Today the bank has eight employees, five full-time and three part-time, all of whom are locals living in our community. And customers often talk about how, when they go into the branch, the staff know you by name. Congratulations to the Clovelly community branch of the Bendigo Bank for 15 years of service to our community.