22 May 2020
The ABA has set up a natural disasters work program that reports to our 16 Council members in order to clarify, strengthen and streamline the banking industry’s response to natural disasters to ensure that they have the right tools for the job at the right time.
By the beginning of March 2020, the major banks had provided bushfire assistance grants totalling $7.6 million to more than 4,000 customers across Australia. The banks had also raised more than $42 million in donations to help devastated communities and assisted more than 3,500 customers with financial relief packages of the types described below.
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The ABA welcomes the Government’s establishment of the Deregulation Taskforce (Taskforce). The proposed reforms to modernise business communications have the potential to reduce business costs and reflect the way Australian consumers and businesses prefer to manage their financial affairs today. The ABA particularly welcomes the Taskforce’s whole-of-economy approach by working to improve technology neutrality across Commonwealth laws, and importantly – partnering with states and territories to explore opportunities to achieve national consistency.
The ABA has recommended a number of changes be made to the Bill enshrining verbal assurances already provided by the Department of Home Affairs.
The ABA also proposes early consultation with industry to ensure time and resources for compliance, and to ensure guidance as to what information the government may require from critical infrastructure entities and the nature of information sharing between government and critical infrastructure sectors.
The ABA supports the Government’s proposal to licence debt management and credit repair firms. We believe that all Australians should be afforded consistent consumer protections, no matter which credit or financial services provider they choose.
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