Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Urquhart for the question. Yes, I can confirm that the Albanese government has secured new moratorium arrangements on regional bank closures from a number of key banks, including a new commitment from NAB and extensions by the Commonwealth Bank and Westpac. This ensures no closures before 31 July 2027 in regional communities serviced by those banks. This is a major win for regional Australians, who have been advocating strongly, and their government has listened. We have acted and we have reached agreement to make sure that moratorium is in place. We've stepped in. We've not sat on our hands like the former government did, and we have worked with stakeholders to make sure we can get the best outcome for regional communities. This is the best outcome: a moratorium on closures and making sure that Bank@Post is funded and resourced appropriately to do the job that it needs to do.