29 August 2016
Sydney, 29 August 2016: After four months of silence on its terms of reference for a royal commission into banking, Labor has instead cut and pasted part of its May dissenting report from the PJC inquiry into impaired bank loans.
“In regurgitating the dissenting report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee (PJC) on Corporations and Financial Services, Labor has suggested terms for a royal commission that are vague and open ended,” Australian Bankers’ Association Chief Executive Steven Münchenberg said today.
“The rest of the PJC didn’t agree with Labor’s terms and found no “evidence that demonstrates that there was widespread or systematic illegal behaviour by banks”.
“Having said that, the banking industry acknowledges there have been issues and we are working to fix those with our industry reform package we released in April,” Mr Münchenberg said
“An independent review is being conducted by a former Australian Public Service Commissioner into how bank staff are paid.
“Banks are also addressing community concerns about bad apples moving around the industry, the handling of customer complaints and the treatment of whistleblowers.”
ENDS
Contact: Stephanie Arena 0477 470 677 or Nic Frankham 0435 963 913
Latest news
Customers facing financial stress from ongoing cost pressures and higher loan repayments are being urged to get in touch with their bank if they need support. ABA CEO Simon Birmingham said banks have a range of practical measures they can put in place to help customers navigate the current economic environment. “Australian banks recognise that… Read more »
Good afternoon and thank you to the Trans-Tasman Business Circle for the invitation to speak today. I want to welcome you all here today for this event and the critically important subject I will be talking about, the emerging contribution gap between Australia’s domestically domiciled company and the rise of big tech. It is a timely moment to take stock. In… Read more »
Australia’s banks contributed a record $16 billion in taxes and other levies in the 2025 financial year, enough to fund over 370 million bulk-billed GP appointments, according to a new report released today by the Australian Banking Association. The Contribution Gap: Tax and regulatory imbalances in the digital age, highlights the critical role banks play… Read more »