Westpac Bank has moved to allay Tennant Creek residents’ concerns it would abolish its automatic teller machine (ATM) services in town, after news spread the former bank building will be taken over by a new tenant.
A Westpac spokesperson said the corporation will continue to provide customers with access to cash in Tennant creek via a new agreement with Precinct ATM.
“The new Precinct ATM will be installed nearby and offer customers access to fee free and careless cash services,” he said.
“In addition, customers can access cash at the local Post Office via Bank@Post (including withdrawing cash, depositing cash and cheques and checking account balances.”
On 15 June 2023 a group of Westpac customers were locked out of their accounts, and could not access the Westpac ATM.
They attempted to hire a car so they could go to the Alice Springs branch to sort out the issue, at a cost of more than $1,000.
The spokesperson said Westpac was committed to supporting Aboriginal customers with its Indigenous Call Centre boosted by a specialist team.
To contact the Indigenous Call Centre, call 1800 230 144.
This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 16 June 2023.
