Business banking, done the regional way
Across Australia’s rural and regional towns, many local bank branches have closed in recent years. To make life easier for people who still need to do daily or weekly banking, Bank@Post is available at thousands of Post Offices around the country.
Key points
- Bank@Post provides a valuable community service in regional and rural communities where local bank branches have closed.
- There are 3,500 Post Offices around Australia that offer Bank@Post services, with links to over 80 banks and financial institutions.
- At a Bank@Post outlet, customers can make withdrawals, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries.
For regional business owners like Cher Ney and Sarah Evans and CFA Captain Allen Treble, Bank@Post provides valuable services for their community.
Cher, who runs Salon Inspired Hair and Beauty in Strathfieldsaye, Victoria, says every minute in every busy day counts. So when local bank branches started shutting down in town, she was facing the prospect of round-trips to nearby Bendigo to do her business banking.
“The time I spent heading into a bank branch took me away from my clients and running my business,” she says. And her business is just getting busier and busier, as more people quit the Melbourne rat-race to embrace the lifestyle and local community that small towns like Strathfieldsaye offer.
“Not having a bank branch in the local area used to be a real problem for businesses like mine – but it’s not an issue anymore,” says Cher.
Bank@Post fills the gap for regional businesses
The reason it’s no longer an issue? Cher and other small business owners in Strathfieldsaye are using Australia Post’s Bank@Post service. Bank@Post provides personal and business customers with access to over 80 banks and financial institutions, including key partners CommBank, Westpac and NAB.
There are 3,500 Post Offices around Australia that offer the Bank@Post service. Over the counter, and depending on which bank or financial institution they’re with, people like Cher can make withdrawals, deposit cash and cheques, or make balance enquiries1. And no fees apply from Australia Post.2
Sarah Evans, the manager of the local bakery in Strathfieldsaye, agrees. “Having Bank@Post available to our local community is amazing. All of the small businesses can use it to make deposits and withdrawals and get small change – it’s just such a great resource. Being 10 kilometres out of Bendigo, it saves us from commuting out of town all the time.”
And it’s not just about the convenience of being able to do everyday and business banking. Cher says, “It’s so nice to go somewhere where they know who you are, and can have a conversation. The banking is just an added bonus.”
Ideal for community groups, too
Further east in Victoria, Allen Treble is the Nagambie CFA Captain. This is a voluntary role – he’s also a sheep farmer. But a key part of his role in heading up the local brigade is to take care of money matters. As well as funding from the government, the Nagambie CFA receives regular community donations to help them purchase vital fire-fighting equipment.
“We go down to Australia Post at least three or four times a week to deposit donation money,” said Treble. These visits invariable involve a chat with other locals too, offering a great way for Treble to stay connected to his local community.
Getting started with Bank@Post
A great first step for any small business thinking about using Bank@Post is to check that your local Post Office offers the service. You can find your nearest participating Post Office using this search tool. You’ll also need to check if your bank or financial institution is part of Bank@Post.
Then, it’s simply a matter of popping into your local Post Office for a chat – or a transaction. You’ll soon see how easy it is.
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Bank@Post is an agency service provided by Australia Post on behalf of over 80 financial institutions. Bank@Post is available at participating Post Offices. Services available are cash withdrawals, deposits and balance inquiries. Consult your financial institution for terms and conditions of the Bank@Post service. Limits apply.
1 Balance enquiries available for selected banks. Refer to our Bank@Post page for further details.
2 We don’t charge you fees to use Bank@Post. Please check your account terms and conditions or ask your financial institution if they will charge you for using Bank@Post. Your financial institution will generally include Bank@Post transaction fees when calculating the account keeping and/or transaction fees for your account. Your financial institution can provide details of any terms and conditions that apply when you use Bank@Post.
