Bank Australia
Bank Australia is an Australian customer-owned bank based in Kew, Victoria. The organisation can trace its origins back to 1957, when the CSIRO Co-operative Credit Society was formed. Over succeeding years, mergers among 72 other credit unions and co-operative banks eventually led to the creation of the Members & Education Credit Union (mecu) in 2003, which became Bankmecu in 2001, and Bank Australia in 2015. Bank Australia is a member organisation of the Australian Banking Association, the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, and is a certified B Corporation. History. Bank Australia is an amalgamation of  72 credit unions and co-operatives. Starting in 1957 as the CSIRO Co-operative Credit Society, the bank expanded to become Australia’s first customer-owned bank in 2011, trading under the name Bankmecu. In 2015, Bankmecu rebranded itself as Bank Australia. In 2022, Bank Australia responded to shareholder demands and set a net zero target for 2035. Responsible and ethical banking approach. Bank Australia’s position is that a responsible bank can make society better, and that where people and organisations put their money has a big impact on the world. The company’s responsible banking policy defines how  it embeds its values into the way it does business. Its full range of deposit and home lending products are certified as responsible by the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA). Bank Australia is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values and RE100 and is a Founding Partner of the Victorian Government’s TAKE2 pledge. In June 2020, Bank Australia became a certified B Corp. Clean money campaign. In 2018, Bank Australia launched their "Clean Money" campaign, with the master message that "The bank with clean money is the  bank that Australia needs." The campaign is based on the idea that where people put their money can do good, not harm, to people and the planet. As part of this campaign, Bank Australia has reaffirmed that they have never invested and will never invest money in fossil fuels, live animal exports, military weaponry, tobacco, or gambling. Sustainability. Bank Australia has made a range of public commitments to sustainability and environmental practices. Business operations. Bank Australia has been carbon neutral since 2011 and in 2018 became certified carbon neutral by the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard. Ahead of  the Paris climate change talks in 2015, Bank Australia made seven commitments as part of "We Mean Business platform". In 2019 they switched to 100% renewable energy. It was the first bank in Australia to do so. Conservation Reserve. The Bank Australia Conservation Reserve is a 927 hectare private land reserve owned by the bank and its customers. The reserve is located in Victoria’s Wimmera region and is made up of three properties and is protected from development forever through a conservation covenant. The company purchased the first of the three properties in 2008 in response to customer concerns  about the environment. Greening Australia and Trust for Nature manage the Reserve. In 2018, Bank Australia, in partnership with Greening Australia and Trust for Nature, won the Banksia Large Business Award for the Conservation Reserve’s ten-year strategy. Impact Fund. Bank Australia allocates 4% of its after tax profits to the Bank Australia Impact Fund. The fund supports projects and partnerships that “benefit people, communities and the planet”. As part of the Fund, the Bank runs an annual customer grants program, many concerned with investment in sustainability and community renewable energy projects. Locations. Bank Australia is 100% Australian based  and has a public commitment to keep jobs in Australia. The company’s head office is in Kew, Victoria and its National Contact Centre is located in Moe in the Latrobe Valley in Victoria. Products and services. Bank Australia offers banking products including everyday banking, savings, term deposits, personal and car loans, home loans, credit cards and commercial banking services. It operates digital banking services through internet and mobile app banking. Customers also have access to Apple Pay, Google Pay and Android Pay, Round UP, and fee free withdrawals at Bank Australia ATMs and all of the major banks’ ATMs . As an authorised deposit-taking institution, Bank Australia is covered under the Financial Claims Scheme. Like all other authorised institutions, balances of up to 250,000 are guaranteed by the Australian Government should Bank Australia collapse. Domain name dispute. Bank Australia launched a domain name dispute on 21 January 2016 for the domain names bankaus.com.au and bankaustralia.com.au. In a single-member judgement on behalf of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, the claim was denied. Since the domain names in question were registered in 2011 and 2008 respectively, and the name "Bank Australia" was registered only in 2014, there was no  evidence that the owner of the domain names had registered them to "prevent the owner of a name, trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding domain name" (cybersquatting) or "primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business or activities of another person".