Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (13:43) 

There is a huge poster at the front of the National Australia Bank branch in Cessnock and it says: 'Proudly serving this community'. Well, not for much longer. You see, the poor old NAB must be doing it tough at the moment. The $7 billion profit they made last year apparently isn't enough to keep the Cessnock branch open. Without any consultation with the community of Cessnock, its customers or its representatives, last week the NAB announced it would close the Cessnock branch in June. This will mean that the NAB doesn't have a single branch or ATM in the Cessnock local government area—an area of more than 65,000 people.

This is a dog act, from a company that no longer deserves the people's support. They are walking away from us. I'd urge those who can to walk away from them. Regional people have traditionally been loyal in how they shop and how they bank, but loyalty is a two-way street. These NAB fraudsters haven't shown much loyalty to their customers in the Hunter. I believe we no longer owe any loyalty to them. The NAB has turned its back on the motto: 'More than money'. I encourage them to reconsider their decision, do the right thing and choose people over profits. What an absolute disgrace, NAB.