Bunbury Forum one of 13 Westpac Group branches to close, cutting 63 jobs

The Bunbury branch will be the only one in Western Australia to close its doors, joining four from New South Wales, four from Victoria, three from South Australia, and one from Queensland. 

Finance Sector Union of Australia National Secretary Julia Angrisano said closures had impacted community members across Australia throughout 2018. 

“Once these new closures go ahead, Westpac will have closed 36 branches just this year, pulling the rug out from beneath communities across Australia,” she said. 

“This is an outrageous reaction to the mauling all the banks have had at the Hayne Royal Commission.

“Instead of closing branches the banks should be doing everything they can to meet the needs of their customers.”

A Westpac spokesperson said the company reacted to the needs and wants of each community. 

“We regularly review the location and services provided by our branch and ATM network in line with changing customer habits and usage,” they said. 

“We know that our customers banking habits are changing – we currently have more than 4.6 million digitally active customers, while ATM usage and branch transactions are declining. 

“Any decisions to close a branch are not made lightly and we’re committed to supporting our customers either at a nearby branch or via other alternative ways to service their banking needs including through our partnership with Australia Post, and digital banking services so our customers can bank when and where they want.”