What was to be a golden jubilee celebration for the Doonside Commonwealth Bank branch has turned out to be golden misery with the sudden closure of the branch.
Stephen Bali MP, State Member for Blacktown and local Doonside residents have expressed concrn at the lack of consultation with the community by the bank.
“CBA has demonstrated disgraceful behaviour that can be seen as nothing less than corporate bullying over the local community,” Mr Bali said.
Blacktown Mayor Brad Bunting joined Mr Bali in condemning thr ban's decision, saying: “Many of our residents, particularly those who lack transportation, including elderly and disabled residents, depend on nearby branches and accessible ATMs.”
In a letter to Mr Bail, Irene Rowlands Regional General Manager Customer Service Network at CBA said the bank had conducted a review and made the “difficult decision wo close the Doonside branch.”
“The branch will now become part of our Westpoint Blacktown Branch. The ATMs at this branch will continue to be available until Friday, 29 November 2024. With this in mind, we have upgraded our nearby branches over the last few years, including Westpoint Blacktown, Mount Druitt and Seven Hills Shopping Centre,” Ms Rowlands said.
“These branches are all larger, showcase our newest design and the latest in Banking technology. We also intend to install a CommBank ATM in the Doonside area. Customers will still be able to use any branch.”
Postcode 2767 has over 23,000 residents covering Doonside, Woodcroft, Bungarribee and Huntingwood Heights with nearby significant industrial parks in Huntingwood, Arndell Park and Glendenning.
ABS 2021 data for Postcode 2767 reveals that 18.6% of the population is aged over 60 and 28.6% have long term chronic health issues.
Ironically, the banking industry is ranked as the 5th highest employer in the area. Various Facebook sites have reacted strongly with the news of the Commonwealth Bank closure.
Nikolina summed uop local sentoiment: “We need to stand together as a community and try and do something about it,” she said
"When Commonwealth Bank closed the Rooty Hill branch, residents were directed to Doonside. Now, Doonside is being closed, pushing people even further away from essential services,” Mayor Bunting said.
“The Doonside closure follows a string of others in the area, including branches in Rooty Hill, Toongabbie, and Blacktown. This pattern, coupled with similar closures by other major banks, has failed to consider the needs of Blacktown’s rapidly growing population.
“It’s time we push back, the banks assume everyone lives in a digital world, but that’s simply not true for many of our residents. They need accessible banking. It’s time banks put people before profits. Local workers are losing their jobs, and residents are losing vital services.”
Across Australia, the big four banks have closed 1,446 branches since 2018, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. In 2023 alone, Westpac closed 167 branches, followed by Commonwealth Bank with 73 closures, ANZ with 72, and NAB with 63.
You can join in the campaign by signing a petition that can be accessed on change.org “Prevent the closure of the Commonwealth Bank in Doonside.”
Stephen Bali and local resident Nikolina Desanti are organising an 11th hour protest to be held outside the bank, 16 Hill End Rd Doonside on Monday 18th November starting 10am.
For further information contact Stephen Bali MP office on 9671 5222 or e: blacktown@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Other statistics:
• Blacktown LGA there are 21 bank branches.
• Australia 1 bank per 5,917 adult population (2023).
• Blacktown 1 bank per 16,173 adult population (2023).
