Big delay for banking changes
Two years on from the final report of the banking royal commission, there is concern that reforms have stalled.
The final report of the big banking probe exposed a culture of rabid greed, rampant profiteering, billions of dollars stolen, fees charged for dead people, and the widespread sale of worthless financial products.
There was much discontent at the end of 2018, with outrage costing the careers of chief executives and chairs of top banks AMP, NAB and Westpac. Court battles were launched against IOOF, NAB, the Commonwealth Bank, Allianz and several other firms.
But less than half of Commissioner Kenneth Hayne's 76 recommendations have become law. His very first recommendation was to leave existing responsible lending laws unchanged, but the Federal Government has gone the other way.
The Consumer Action Law Centre helped witnesses prepare to appear at the royal commission. Cat Newton - a senior policy officer at the centre - says the important movement is mired in delays.
“What we don't want to see is another two years go by and all of the lessons of the royal commission are lost,” Ms Newton told the ABC.
“Frankly, it's an insult to banking victims across Australia and for all the people that gave evidence to the royal commission that two years on we're still waiting for those reforms to be implemented.”
Experts say more of the recommendations should be made law.
“The majority of the 76-recommendations are still yet to be implemented and put into effect for the benefit of consumers. And that's a really disappointing lack of progress after two years,” lawyer Josh Mennen from the Australian Lawyers Alliance.
“And in fact some of those recommendations have either been abandoned or defied.”
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