Dale Webster, The Regional

In a stunning act of betrayal, the Liberal and National parties have back-flipped on a commitment made in the Senate just seven days earlier and voted with Labor to scuttle a motion that would have relegated the Government’s problematic cash mandate regulations to history ... Senator Michaelia Cash stood up last Tuesday and, speaking for both the Liberals and National parties, ridiculed the proposal and accused One Nation of trying to “ban cash”.

Anyone trying to understand why regional Australians are turning their backs on the major parties need only look at what happened when a motion to disallow the Government’s problematic cash mandate regulations came up for vote in the Senate this week. Lodged by One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts, the motion had the numbers to pass...

“Expect shenanigans.” This ominous warning was included when news came on the morning of Tuesday 24 March that the debate on the motion to disallow the Albanese Government’s controversial cash mandate regulations had been scheduled to continue in the Senate that day. This Tuesday, Australians were treated to a lesson in filibustering 101 by two grown women who should, quite honestly, be ashamed of themselves.

The National Clydesdale and Heavy Horse Festival has once again shaken the earth at Werribee as the world’s much-loved working breeds were shown off in hand, under saddle and in harness. Organisers this year welcomed Canadian judges Ray and Amber McLaughlin to officiate, with Amber judging the led Clydesdales/Shires and Ray the harness with Peter Strafford.

Love it, hate it or don’t even understand it, Bendigo Bank’s multi-million dollar “Better Big Bank” marketing campaign has raised a lot of questions since its launch seven years ago ... A review of the “last bank out” of regional towns across Australia since 2020 has revealed that Bendigo has left more communities without banking services than all four big banks put together.

Major-brand supermarkets and fuel retailers in bankless towns could be eligible for exemptions from the Federal Government’s proposed cash mandate regulations under exceptional circumstances provisions, an official from Treasury confirmed today during Senate Estimates hearings. The information was obtained by WA Senator Tyron Whitten in a series of questions about regional banking services.

There are fatal flaws in the Federal Government’s draft cash mandate regulations and they can be traced back to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's refusal to respond to Senate recommendations to fix the banking crisis in regional Australia.

Bendigo Bank torches regional development with selective blacklist based on mining. Just like the fictional Tasmanian town of Mystery Bay, a star in its own right in the hit ABC TV series Bay of Fires, Queenstown, where much of the show was filmed, is being held back by mysterious forces. Locals have suspected for some time that the town was a “no-go” area for home lending but like many other disadvantages they face due to remoteness, it was believed geography was the likely cause.

Bendigo Bank closed its last remaining banking service in an Aboriginal community 27 days before celebrating the launch of its Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan. The Aurukun agency in far north Queensland was one of 27 to be closed in 2022-2023 under the eye of the bank’s now chief executive Richard Fennell when he was in charge of the consumer banking division.

Bendigo Bank has pulled out of fundraising partnerships with community groups that have been drumming up business for corporate branches since 2004 ... The bank told community groups however, that it had reviewed this part of its business and determined the contributions were “not sustainable” ... Bendigo Bank has announced a $514.6 million profit.