ANZ customers in Ingham are boycotting the bank after the financial institution last week announced that it would close the town’s branch.
Hinchinbrook Shire Council Mayor Raymon Jayo lead the charge and instructed the CEO to close council’s account and instead move their money to financial institutions that showed loyalty to the town.
It comes after the ANZ also closed their Hughenden branch on October 18 last year.
Cr Jayo said four staff members would lose their jobs when the branch closes on April 24, which was a big hit for the community.
“It is bitterly disappointing and another kick in the guts for our small communities,” Cr Jayo said.
Cr Jayo said while he understood the viability of such institutions relied on people coming through the doors, the banks and government had a responsibility to ensure smaller communities could remain viable in a digital age.
”We have the oldest demographic in the state and a lot of our people don’t accept, trust or understand internet banking. We’ve still got people walking around with old passbooks.
“Internet shopping and internet banking is taking away our jobs.
“I do blame the government, where is this technology going to take us as far as jobs are concerned in rural Australia? It will take us nowhere, robots aren’t going to feed us.”
Cr Jayo said NAB, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and Bendigo still had a presence in town and urged customers to support those branches.
An ANZ spokeswoman confirmed the branch would close siting a 30 per cent drop in foot traffic in the last four years.
But Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce president Rachael Coco said the banks opening hours had been reduced, which had caused any perceived decline.
“We consider that this has been orchestrated as a self-fulfilling prophesy,” Mrs Coco said.
“If you close at lunch times and in between Christmas and New Years then direct customers outside to use the ANZ when they are trying to use an in-branch service, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
”Most of us saw the writing on the wall.”
Mrs Coco said the chamber would send a letter to appeal the decision but believed the decision would be final.
Deputy Mayor and business owner Mary Brown said after 30 years as both a personal and commercial client, she would be shifting her money.
“It’s ridiculous and demonstrates how of out touch ANZ is with their demographic,” Cr Brown said.
“Traditionally, you had a relationship with banking staff and it formed part of the broader community, personal relationships were important to keeping a client.
“When the local manager left, it changed. It was just beginning of where we've got to now.”
Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said banks had a responsibility to provide a service to small country areas, not just more profitable city centres.
“This is just a further erosion of services in the country which is occurring right across regional Queensland,” Mr Dametto said.
“Over the past six months we have seen similar closures by major banks in Julia Creek and Hughenden.”
The ANZ spokeswoman apologised for any inconvenience.
“We are consulting the branch staff members who currently work at Ingham and supporting them through this change while making every effort to find them redeployment opportunities with ANZ,” she said.
Current customers would have their accounts transferred to Sturt St, Townsville branch, while the ATM would remain in Ingham.