This election, better banking is an issue that many Australians care about. Customers and staff are fed up with the repeated actions of the big four banks that see:
- unfair fee charges
- exceeding RBA movements when it comes to passing on rate rises
- continued risky behaviour and short-term sales targets that pressure both staff and customers already burdened by debt.

The time is ripe for banks to become more accountable in the services they provide. Out of the global financial crisis the impetus to reform and regulate against risky profit-driven behaviour has been debated with fires still burning in Greece and other parts of Europe. Back home we have seen a class action to regain unfair fee charges from the banks and the strong support from public and workers for the Better Banking charter.

We in Australia can make a difference this election to alert both sides of politics to the need to implement banking reform.
Read more »

First published on The Punch 20/7/2010

With the major parties flexing their muscles on border protection, the Australian public has sent Canberra a message that it is the protection of Australian jobs that is the real security issue for them.

In what looms as the sleeper issue for the 2010 election campaign, a quarter of all voters placed “Australian jobs and the protection of local industries” as key election issue, behind only economic management and health.

As the latest Essential Report shows that economic protectionism towers over headline-grabbing issues like climate change, asylum seekers, housing affordability, industrial laws and population growth as a priority election issue. Read more »

Customers ought to have the right to know when their personal data is being sent offshore. In a recent submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communication and the Arts, the FSU made four recommendations to the inquiry into Keeping Jobs from Going Offshore (Protection of Personal Information) Bill.

These were:

- investigate the full range of impacts off-shoring has on the community

- better data on the subject of off-shoring

- legislation requiring customers to be told where the staff member they are speaking to is currently located, and

- legislation requiring that customers give their permission before their personal data is sent overseas

As part and parcel of the FSU’s campaign for better banking, Australia needs sector-wide reform that targets all areas that big banks currently exploit. It is very clear that both the public and bank workers don’t like off-shoring and they don’t want it. Read more »