Member for Central Wheatbelt Lachlan Hunter MP has slammed the decision by Bendigo Bank to close its agency in Cunderdin, labelling it another blow to essential services in the bush.
The agency, currently located within the Cunderdin Co-operative, is set to close in October 2025 and is part of a broader decision by Bendigo Bank to shut down 28 agency sites across five states.
“The news that Bendigo Bank will close its agency in Cunderdin comes as a deep disappointment,” Mr Hunter said.
“This abrupt removal of service will force residents to travel a nearly 120 kilometre round-trip for basic banking, undermining the resilience and independence of our rural community.”
Mr Hunter said he had written directly to Bendigo Bank to demand answers and express his frustration with the lack of consultation.
“Local customers and the Co-op were given no warning and no opportunity to be heard. That’s simply not good enough for a town that has loyally supported the agency model for years.”
The decision forms part of a wider trend of regional banking closures across the country, with banks citing declining in-person use and rising compliance costs. However, Mr Hunter said those justifications rang hollow in rural communities.
“While Bendigo Bank frames this as ‘modernisation’, it feels like yet another essential service quietly stripped from a country town,” he said.
“Country people still need access to banking — whether it’s to deposit takings from a small business, support an older resident with limited digital literacy, or access basic financial services that many take for granted in the city.”
Mr Hunter praised the Shire of Cunderdin for speaking out publicly and urged other regional communities to do the same.
“Country WA has seen a slow but steady erosion of government and commercial services including banking, health, childcare, education – all being centralised or closed. Enough is enough,” he said.
“This decision shows a complete disregard for the importance of regional service access. I’ll continue fighting to ensure rural communities like Cunderdin aren’t left behind.”