Busselton and Dunsborough Bankwest branches to shut down as part of Statewide closures

Bankwest has announced the closure of its Busselton and Dunsborough branches by October as part of the company’s Statewide branch shutdowns. The decision by the bank will result in 45 locations closing for good and 15 converted to Commonwealth Bank branches. The Dunsborough branch is on the list to be converted, but Busselton’s branch will be permanently closed. According to data provided by Bankwest, the Busselton branch has an average of 24 customers per day and the Dunsborough site has nine. The news comes as part of Bankwest’s 2024 move to become a digital bank. Bankwest executive general manager Jason Chan said the transition would be a challenge for some. “I understand this will be difficult news for some of our customers and Bankwest is introducing a range of support measures to help our customers who are regular branch users carefully through this transition,” he said. “It’s critical we prioritise investment for the majority of our customers who expect leading digital and broker banking services and rarely use branches, but we have a clear focus on the needs of our regular branch users at this time.” Branches in Bunbury, Manjimup and Busselton will also be permanently closed in the South West, along with other regional centres such as Albany, Kalgoorlie, Broome and Geraldton. The Dunsborough, Collie, Bridgetown and Pemberton branches will become CBA branches by the end of the year. The closures will impact 350 jobs, but Bankwest said it would help staff transition to the digital age through “dedicated reskilling programs”. WA Opposition Leader Shane Love said he had been told regional communities would be kept front of mind but he needed to wait and see if promises were followed through. “I have had assurances from Bankwest that communities which are currently serviced by their business will be given the opportunity to transition to CBA customers with direct support from their team,” he said.