Residents of remote communities are driving 400-kilometre round trips just to access keycards as solutions are sought to financial and banking issues faced in the bush.

Financial regulators, advocacy organisations, banking representatives and an Aboriginal corporation have met in hopes of increasing access to banking services in the Kimberley's remote communities. 

A roundtable discussion held this week was part of a push by community organisation Broome Circle to bring the financial issues faced by people in remote Aboriginal communities to the attention of the banking industry. 

Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Nathan McIvor said Aboriginal people in remote communities struggled to access basic banking facilities. 

"For example we've got staff in Djarindjin that are having to drive 200 kilometres to Broome just to help somebody access a keycard and then drive back home again," he said.

"We can't do that over the phone because a lot of these old people don't talk to people on the phone, they find it very difficult to understand who's on the other side of the line."

Mr McIvor said a representative on behalf of banks could be stationed in remote communities to address financial questions and problems. 

"Centrelink has agents in communities, so does Australia Post," he said.

"So I wouldn't see any reason why there couldn't be a bank teller or bank agent … in community that can answer the questions that people do have." 

Search for solutions

Broome Circle financial counsellor Veronica Johnson said she wanted a positive conversation with the banking industry about issues facing remote communities. 

"What today was all about was actually all the banks listening to all the good things happening and what good things could be adopted," she said.

But she said there were a number of issues that needed to be addressed to in order to bring basic banking facilities to remote communities. 

"They don't have any internet, they don't have enough credit on their phones [for internet and phone banking] and I think the banks need to get on board and visit to see what it's like," she said. 

"There needs to be more on the ground banks travelling, seeing what people live like in the communities, more outside the box thinking, more collaboration between the banks."

More regular meetings

Representatives from NAB, Commonwealth, ANZ, Westpac, the Australian Consumer Competition Commission and Australian Securities and Investments Commission attended virtually. 

Financial Counselling Australia,  the Financial Counsellors Association of Western Australia and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority also attended online. 

Representatives from the banks and regulators acknowledged the problems faced by Aboriginal people living in the Kimberley's remote communities. 

Some agreed to bring the issues raised to management in their organisations and float possible solutions for the next meeting scheduled to take place in three months. 

Ms Johnson said she wanted to see all of the representatives get together in person for the next round of talks and meet people from remote communities to hear what they had to say.

"I'm really hoping the next meeting can be in person with some of those people who were online, on virtual today," Ms Johnson said. 

"That would be my biggest wish, that they could come and visit these communities -- perhaps starting with Djardjin community."