The National Australia Banks has chosen to abandon the Cessnock community despite making more than $7 billion in profit last year.

These large corporations do not understand the needs of smaller regional communities. The locals are often minutes from their bank, not like in the big cities.

The National Australia Bank fails to understand that customers still value and rely on conducting their banking in person, especially when an issue arises and contacting the call centre just does not cut it.

Local businesses who are reliant on over-the-counter banking services on a daily basis are raising real concerns with me about what this closure will mean for their businesses.

Swapping from one bank to another for a major business like a real estate agency or a law firm is not a simple task, and means that local businesses now face spending days and weeks preparing to swap to another bank just so that they can continue to operate.

We are seeing banks becoming more disconnected from their customers and this is a step in the wrong direction.

Last year we saw the ANZ Bank close its Cessnock branch and in the coming year we will lose another branch when either the Greater or the Newcastle Permanent closes one of its branches following their merger.

These rich fat cats in Sydney office blocks, who never travel to regional areas, now expect customers to travel 30 kilometres to Maitland or Glendale just to do their banking.

This decision shows that the bank is putting profits ahead of people.

We know that locals are angry about this. So are we. That’s why we’re calling on the National Australia Bank to reverse its decision and keep the Cessnock Branch open.

Don’t put profits over people.