Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA), Media Release, 21 October 2025
Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Chairman, Mayor Rick Firman OAM has commended Westpac Bank for opening a new Regional Service Centre in Moree, in north-west New South Wales and for what appears to be a vastly improved attitude towards servicing country NSW communities.
“Our rural, remote and regional communities in NSW keep getting hit with bad news, like the recent Bendigo Bank agency closures. That one of the ‘Big Four’ is bucking the trend and re-investing in our non-metro economies is to be applauded,” Mayor Firman said.
Westpac officially opened its new Moree Regional Service Centre at 84 Balo Street on Monday, 13 October. The opening of the new Service Centre comes more than two years after Westpac closed its Moree branch in February 2023, one of 2,100 bank closures nation-wide in the 2017-23 period.
Mayor of Moree Plains Shire Council, Cr. Susannah Pearse is understandably delighted with the about-face from Westpac, describing the new Service Centre was a show of faith in both Moree Plains and regional Australia in general.
“Council is so pleased and excited to see Westpac reopen doors to the general public here in Moree,” Cr. Pearse said.
“Westpac have recognised the vital role regional and rural areas play in the ongoing growth of Australia and Council welcomes the opening of the Regional Service Centre.”
The CMA was further heartened by Westpac Chief Executive, Mr Anthony Miller’s comments following the opening in Moree, which alluded to further reinvestment in rural and regional financial services. He indicated that the new centre will help his bank to improve banking services in in the Moree area, including for business and agribusiness customers. “This is just the beginning. Regional Australia is vital to the economy and we continue to explore ways we can invest in these communities to help unlock their full potential,” Mr Miller said.
The Australian Government secured a moratorium on bank branch closures from the ‘big four’ until mid-2027. However, this has been treated with cynicism and contempt, according to Mayor Firman. “In a lot of cases, branches are operating reduced hours, across a reduced number of days. There are growing examples where customers are not dealing with a local manager with the authority to approve a modest or even sizable loan. CMA also acknowledge that there are community owned banks and Credit Unions, which support rural, regional and remote communities.
“There are other options to the ‘Big Four’, however, Westpac deserve our thanks and praise on this occasion. We couldn’t be happier for Moree Shire Council and their citizens. Our rural communities will repay loyalty with loyalty – it’s as simple as that”, Mayor Firman added.
