ONE of Australia’s largest banks has initiated the help of Church and community groups to improve banking services.
Catholic Social Services associate director in Melbourne archdiocese, Fr Joe Caddy, said a national study had begun with the National Australia Bank (NAB) to pinpoint people’s banking needs.
“There are people with real needs for banking services out there who cannot get them,” he said.
Fr Caddy, President of the Baptist Union of Australia, Rev Tim Costello, and representatives of the Anglican and Uniting Churches, Salvation Army and community groups have been discussing banking as an essential service with the NAB for nearly two years.
The parties have now formed the NAB Community Partnership Group.
The initiative was taken by the bank, which approached Rev Costello, who works with banks on ethical issues.
The bank was concerned about the image of banking generally, with retrenchments, branch closures and loss of services by some people.
Fr Caddy said the NAB had given “a reasonable amount of money” to fund the study by Melbourne firm Beverley Kliger and Associates.
