By JESSE GRAHAM
HEALESVILLIANS have been left reeling after ANZ announced it would be closing its local branch, and staff are uncertain about their future.
The announcement came on 20 May, in the form of a letter from district manager Garry Conner to Healesville account-holders and recent visitors to the branch.
The letter states that the branch will be closed at 3pm on Friday 11 July – all accounts will be transferred to the bank’s Lilydale branch, 22 kilometres away.
Healesville Chamber of Commerce president Graham Taylor said the chamber was “deeply concerned” about the decision, which would directly impact local businesses making deposits.
“It is so frustrating and annoying that banks turning record profits can shut their doors without any warning, without any sort of survey and expect people to simply make a 45-minute round-trip to Lilydale to do their banking,” he said.
According to an ANZ spokesperson, the decision to close came from a “dramatic” fall in customers visiting the branch in person, and an increase in digital banking.
No figures were available on visits to the branch in recent years, and the spokesperson said staff at the soon-to-be-closed branch would have access to support services and career retraining funds.
The spokesperson said that no guarantees could be made about the jobs of the staff at the Healesville branch currently, but that ANZ would try to accommodate them in other branches.
Residents took to the Mail’s Facebook page to protest the closure announcement, with some saying that they would have to change banks for business as the distance was unworkable.
Mr Taylor said that those affected by the closure should make their opinions known about the decision.
“I think that the community needs to be well heard, and the chamber will be meeting to talk about the whole situation, and whether we can have any influence on them changing their decision.”
In 2013, ANZ generated a profit of $6.3 billion.
What do you think of the decision to close Healesville’s ANZ bank branch? Will you be affected by the closure? Write a letter to the editor at PO Box 470, Healesville, 3777 or email editor@yvnews.com.au.
