Just after noon today, Climate action group Rising Tide disrupted business at Tweed City ANZ as local long-term customers withdrew their life savings from the bank.
Retired farmers and grandparents Alex Mateer and Rick Kilpatrick live-streamed their divestment as part of a nationwide campaign protesting the bank’s continued support for fossil fuel projects.
Rising Tide says ANZ funds more coal and gas projects than any of the other Big Four Banks, and is the only one not to have ruled out funding a proposed 1,580km pipeline from the massive Beetaloo Basin gas fracking project in the Northern Territory all the way to Gladstone, Queensland.
They say the Beetaloo gas field would be a climate bomb, estimated to emit more than 1 billion tonnes of CO₂, making it completely incompatible with Australia’s commitment to international agreements to limit global warming.
‘They can’t wreck the climate without our money!’
The Northern Rivers residents closed their ANZ account at Tweed City shortly just after midday as supporters distributed flyers and deployed a banner reading, ‘They can’t wreck the climate without our money!’
Ms Mateer said that when they purchased their small business in 2001, they interviewed all the local banks and chose ANZ because the manager gave them his direct number. ‘We have been loyal customers ever since – for 26 years.’
‘To be honest, the staff has been great,’ said Mr Kilpatrick. ‘However, we contacted ANZ many times about our concerns about funding fossil fuels in a climate emergency – to no avail. So, reluctantly, we have had to switch banks and take our life savings out of ANZ and start a new account with a credit union.’
‘We are calling on anyone else who is concerned about increased floods, fires, droughts, and landslides in our region to do the same thing,’ said Ms Mateer.
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