WESTPAC Banking Corporation will open a new service centre in Moree, with the announcement overnight three rural towns across eastern Australia will get new branches with face-to-face customer support.

The new site will be located at 84 Balo Street, the former ANZ Bank building.

The Frome Street Westpac branch in Moree closed two years ago, however its agribusiness service remains operational.

The new service centres will provide face-to-face support for retail and business customers, along with digital banking assistance and access to cash.

Westpac will initially establish three new centres at Moree, Leongatha in Victoria and Smithton in Tasmania, with more to follow.

The Moree branch will be the first to open later this year, with three local business and agri bankers already on-the-ground to be joined by two personal bankers.

The Leongatha and Smithton centres will open in early 2026.

Work is underway to bring the new service centre model, which combines retail and business banking, to a number of additional regional locations.

The Westpac Bank branch closed in Moree in February, 2023. A Moree branch will reopen later this year at 84 Balo Street, the former ANZ Bank building.

To support growth outside of Australia’s capital cities the bank will also add 150 new business bankers across its regional network over the next three years.

Westpac CEO Anthony Miller says regional Australia plays a vital role in the nation’s economy.

“Two years ago we announced a moratorium on regional branch closures while we review and strengthen our regional banking services. Today marks an important step in delivering on that commitment,” Mr Miller said.

“Regional Australia is pivotal to the nation’s economy. It’s home to a third of the population and contributes 30 per cent to GDP.

“We’re investing in the regions because we want to support the hardworking Australians who live outside of our capital cities,” Mr Miller said.

The new regional service centres will offer face-to-face support, while cash transactions will be provided through Smart ATMs with bankers on hand to assist. Help with other needs such as identity verification, personal and business lending, and fraud and scam support will also be available.

“We’ve thought long and hard about how we can provide a face-to-face service for our regional customers,” Mr Miller said.

“While most customers prefer to bank online, this new model will allow us to improve the way we help personal, business and agri customers.

“This includes tailored help for regional business and agribusiness customers looking to start or grow their business, and personal bankers available to assist with daily cash and banking enquiries.

“Each service centre might also look and feel a little different, with certain services scaled up or down depending on the needs of the respective community.”