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PayDay News | Australian Payments News

Regional Australia doesn’t need smarter ATMs, it needs bank branches

Technology Reporter
29 Apr, 2026
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Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Technology Reporter
29 Apr, 2026
Add us as a preferred source on Google
An ACCC filing suggests the Australian Banking Association wants multi-bank deposit ATMs to fill the gap left by 1,564 branch closures since 2020. But regional banks and their communities said a machine in a wall is no substitute for a person behind a counter.
Regional Australia doesn’t need smarter ATMs, it needs bank branches
The Capricornian Bank CEO Dale Grounds (right) says installing ATMs “is the equivalent of expecting a first-year nursing student to run a regional hospital while metropolitan cities enjoy the expertise of fully qualified nurses.” Background picture created

An ACCC filing suggests the Australian Banking Association wants multi-bank deposit ATMs to fill the gap left by 1,564 branch closures since 2020. But regional banks and their communities said a machine in a wall is no substitute for a person behind a counter.

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