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Community facilities Speeches | February 19, 2019

Lowan Electorate - Constituency questions

Victorian Parliament - 19 February 2019 - Ms KEALY (Lowan) (12:48:19): (68) My question is to the Treasurer. Recently the Victorian Labor government have enforced a mandate for government entities, including hospitals and schools, to close local bank accounts and transfer their funds to a centralised government bank account with Westpac’s Sydney branch. My constituents are concerned the decision has already removed millions of dollars of deposits from local banks, putting the future of smaller country bank branches at risk and significantly cutting the donation capacity of the highly successful community banking model. The impact will mean less money donated to local projects and community organisations in our smallest country towns. How will the Treasurer compensate local sporting clubs, community organisations, hospitals and schools for the significant reduction in community donations able to be made by local community banks due to his emphatic mandate to remove local money from local banks to a Sydney bank?