Latest news with #MalcolmRoberts
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Thousands of Aussies to lose bank service
Dozens of regional communities will be left without a bank after Bendigo Bank announced it was axing its agency model, saying the current system can no longer be supported. A total of 28 agencies across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia stop operating from October, while 10 branches in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania will shut their doors from August. The agency model, established more than 30 years ago, allowed Bendigo to offer 'limited banking services via third parties in areas where there was not enough customer demand to sustain a branch'. 'Following a review, Bendigo Bank has concluded that its agency model can no longer be supported due to decreasing customer use and other relevant factors and will be retired from October 2025,' the bank said in a statement. Bendigo Bank announced 28 of their agencies would be closing in October. NewsWire / Paul Jeffers Credit: NewsWire 'The bank apologises to customers that use these agencies for any inconvenience.' Bendigo Bank's chief customer officer consumer, Taso Corolis, said the decision had been informed by 'limited use of these services' and 'an increase in costs and compliance obligations'. 'Bendigo Bank operates more branches per customer than any other Australian bank and Australia's second largest regional branch network,' he said 'We are proud of our regional heritage and are committed to providing face-to-face banking services for our customers. 'To preserve what makes our bank unique, we must prioritise our investments across both physical and digital channels to continue meeting the changing needs and growing expectations of our 2.7 million customers.' Bendigo Bank has told customers they will be closing 28 of its agencies across the country. NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt Credit: News Corp Australia He said the bank would help customers adjust to the change. 'This may be in the form of connecting them with their closest alternate service, including nearest branch or Bank@Post locations, and walking them through e-banking services available, when required,' he said. The move is sparking outrage in regional communities, who may now long drives if they wish to attend a branch in person. One such affected community is Queenstown on the west coast of Tasmania. The Bendigo Bank is the last dedicated physical bank branch in town and residents now face a two and half-hour drive to the closest bank. Speaking in the Senate on Wednesday night, Queensland and One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts warned of the impact the closure of that branch would have. One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts has raised the closure of Bendigo Bank services in the Senate. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: NewsWire 'This is not only the last bank in town. It's the last bank on the entire West Coast of Tasmania,' Roberts said. 'The locals will have no choice and will be forced to drive two and a half hours over icy mountain roads to the next closest bank in Burnie.' Senator Roberts said he was 'having to raise' it because Tasmania's senators had 'ignored' the issue. He accused the Albanese government of ignoring the senate inquiry into regional banking, which had made a number of recommendations, 'The government was supposed to respond within 90 days. It's been 14 months and the government has simply ignored it,' Senator Roberts said.
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Why Pauline Hanson is the surprise massive WINNER of the election
The final make up of the Senate after the federal election has been decided, with One Nation claiming the final seat to equal its best standing in federal parliament. One Nation's Warwick Stacey won the sixth slot in NSW after the Australian Electoral Commission declared the results for the state on Friday. Labor was expected to pick up the final seat in NSW, but a strong flow of preferences meant the One Nation candidate was able to get over the line. It means Pauline Hanson 's party will have four senators in the next parliament, equalling its high watermark from 2016. Mr Stacey will join Senator Hanson alongside re-elected Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts and the newly elected Tyron Whitten from Western Australia. The other five senators elected from NSW included Labor's Tony Sheldon and Tim Ayres, Liberals Andrew Bragg and Jessica Collins as well as Mehreen Faruqi from the Greens. Labor will have 28 senators in the 76-seat upper house, with the coalition having 27, the Greens with 11, One Nation with four and the remaining six being independents or from minor parties. A total of 39 votes is needed to pass laws in the Senate, meaning Labor can ensure passage of bills with the support of just the Greens or the coalition. It comes as the Australian Electoral Commission launched an investigation after almost half of all votes from a polling place were ruled as informal. Of the 111 people who voted at a polling booth in Missabotti near Coffs Harbour in the seat of Cowper, 50 ballots for the lower house were filled out incorrectly. Residents from the area told the ABC they were informed by election staff to number both ballot papers from one to six, despite there being 11 candidates. Ballots for the House of Representatives must have all boxes numbered in order of preference to be deemed valid. A minimum of six boxes must be filled out on the Senate ballot paper for the party of the voter's choice. The high informal votes would not have affected the outcome in the seat, with Nationals MP Pat Conaghan winning by more than 5,000 votes. 'If the reports from Cowper are accurate and our staff were providing incorrect instructions, this is disappointing,' an electoral commission spokesman said. 'The AEC takes ballot paper formality very seriously - our intention is always to maximise the number of voters who are able to participate in a federal election by casting a formal vote.'
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
One Nation gets one extra seat in the Senate with incoming WA senator Tyron Whitten
One Nation has picked up another Senate seat, with Western Australian candidate Tyron Whitten winning the sixth and final spot at the May 3 election. The Australian Electoral Commission finalised the WA Senate makeup on Thursday, with the businessman winning a seat alongside Labor's Ellie Whiteaker and Varun Ghosh, the Greens' Jordon Steele-John and Liberal senators Slade Brockman and Matt O'Sullivan. Mr Whitten is one of three co-founders of his family civil construction company Whitten, which says it employs 1000 people and has an annual turnover of more than $180m. His win increases One Nation's Senate footprint from two to three senators, including Pauline Hanson, after the AEC confirmed Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts would also be returned. Senator Roberts took to X to thank voters for his re-election, and welcomed the party's gain. 'One Nation is going to increase its Senate representation by 50 per cent with a new Senator from WA also elected after coming agonisingly close in Victoria and South Australia,' he wrote. Senator Roberts beat out LNP defector Gerard Rennick, who quit the party after he was booted from the Senate ticket. Labor also won an extra seat in Queensland, with former casino lobbyist Corrinne Mulholland winning a spot alongside incumbent senator Nita Green. LNP senators Susan McDonald and Paul Scarr were returned, as was new Greens leader Larissa Waters. While the results for the NSW Senate battle have yet to be finalised, Labor is set to increase its numbers to 28, which means it will be able to pass legislation with the support of the 11 Greens senators. As is stands the Coalition are projected to hold 27 Senate spots.
The Guardian
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Pauline Hanson's One Nation scores surprise boost as Tyron Whitten wins Senate seat in WA
One Nation has secured a surprise boost to its numbers in federal Parliament, after businessman Tyron Whitten won Western Australia's sixth Senate seat. The result is the first time the party founded by Pauline Hanson has won an upper house seat outside Queensland at a half-Senate election, and came on the same day One Nation's Malcolm Roberts retained his sunshine state seat, defeating Liberal-National party defector Gerard Rennick. Labor had hoped to win the last Senate spot in WA, bringing its numbers in the chamber to 30. Deep Singh, a former organiser with the United Worker's Union, was in a close race for the last spot. The Australian Electoral Commission finalised the WA count on Thursday, with Labor's Ellie Whiteaker and Varun Ghosh elected, alongside Liberal Matt O'Sullivan and the Greens' Jordon Steele-John. One Nation said Whitten, who co-founded the construction services company Whittens with his brother Clayton in 2001, has 'always encouraged his family and those around him to take action when they see injustice or broken policies'. A profile published by One Nation said he believes in a strong national energy policy, and wants curb overseas arrivals into Australia, blaming migrants for housing costs and pressure on infrastructure and essential services. 'Our government is selling out Australians with policies that benefit corporations and global bureaucracies while leaving our own people struggling. It's time to put Australians first,' Whitten said. 'One Nation holds the values that my grandfather went to war for. It is the least I can do to repay his service to his country and give mine and all Australian families the way of life we sometimes take for granted.' In social media posts he has criticised multiculturalism and called for migrants to respect Australian values and the country's 'way of life'. He said Australians should speak up against overseas arrivals who try and impose their culture here. The result means One Nation will have three senators, alongside Hanson, who is up for re-election at the end of the coming term. The Australian Electoral Officer for Western Australia, Anita Ratcliffe, announced the final distribution of preferences had been completed about 3pm. 'As with all aspects of the count, scrutineers appointed by the candidates were able to witness the automated distribution of preferences undertaken today,' she said. On social media, One Nation called Whitten's win a 'well-deserved result for a passionate advocate of the people'. 'We look forward to the strong voice he will bring to Parliament on behalf of Western Australians,' the party said. Along with Roberts, the Liberal-National party's Paul Scarr and Susan McDonald were elected in Queensland, alongside Labor's Nita Green and Corinne Mulholland, and Greens leader Larissa Waters. Rennick quit the LNP in mid-2024 after being pushed off the Senate ticket in favour of party treasurer Stuart Fraser. Rennick's subsequent challenge to the result was unsuccessful. Roberts thanked voters for reelecting him and promised to continue his 'mission as a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia.' Counting is continuing in the Sydney lower house seat of Bradfield, with Liberal Gisele Kapterian ahead of independent Nicollete Boele by 7 votes at 5pm on Thursday.
ABC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
One Nation's Malcolm Roberts returned to the Senate for Queensland, Gerard Rennick gets the boot
One Nation's Malcolm Roberts has held onto his Senate seat from Queensland, as former LNP Senator Gerard Rennick is booted from federal parliament. The Australian Electoral Commission officially declared Queensland's Senate election results on Thursday, with Labor gaining an extra position. It means of the six Senate seats up for grabs, Labor has won two, the LNP has secured two, the Greens have taken out one, and One Nation has also won one. Senator Roberts was elected to a second consecutive term — securing the sixth Senate position in Queensland ahead of Senator Rennick. Senator Rennick was elected in 2019 as an LNP candidate but later resigned from the party after he was defeated in a pre-selection ballot. In the 2025 poll, he ran as a candidate for his own party, People First. Senator Roberts will rejoin fellow One Nation senator Pauline Hanson, whose term is not due to expire for another three years. Labor's Nita Green was also returned to the Senate, with Corine Mulholland joining her as the second Labor candidate to win a Senate spot in Queensland. LNP Senators Susan McDonald and Paul Scarr were both re-elected. Senator McDonald will sit in the Coalition's shadow cabinet with the resources and northern Australia portfolio. The Greens' Larissa Waters, who was first elected to the Senate in 2011, has reclaimed her seat. She came in fifth in the Senate count for Queensland. Senator Waters was recently made the leader of her party after Adam Bandt lost his seat of Melbourne in the House of Representatives. Australian Electoral Officer for Queensland Stephanie Attard said preferences were distributed on Thursday. "As with all aspects of the count, scrutineers appointed by the candidates were able to witness the automated distribution of preferences undertaken today," she said.
