Terms of reference

In the 48th Parliament the Treasurer, The Hon Dr Jim Chamlers, requested the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics to conduct an annual public hearing with Australia’s four major banks, to examine how the major banks are balancing the interests of a diverse set of stakeholders, including borrowers, depositors, shareholders and the wider community.

The Committee was asked to consider:

• Interest rates on deposit and loan products, the financial position of borrowers and the role of banks in supporting the flow of credit to households and businesses, including the influence of competition, profit margins and exposure to risk on bank funding costs and lending rates.
• The impact of proposed changes to surcharging, interchange caps and fee transparency.
• How banks are interacting with their customers, particularly through the operation of dispute resolution and remediation processes.
• How banks are using artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, particularly in relation to loan processing, cyber security, fraud protection and customer service.
• Actions taken by banks to protect their customers from scams, including scam prevention, detection and response (noting the pending introduction of the Scams Prevention Framework).
• Banks’ service delivery and operational performance, including access to banking in regional, rural and remote areas and availability of payment services to household and business customers.
• How banks are responding to the risks and opportunities of climate change, and how the banking sector can support Australia’s progress towards climate and other sustainability-related goals.
• The ongoing implementation of recommendations of the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry.