The Treasurer has now (finally) released the proposed timetable for implementation of the recommendations from the Royal Commission made back in February.
It is entitled “Restoring Trust In Australia’s Financial System”, but of course the big question is, will these measures once implemented really get to the heart of the issue – we doubt it.
This is because the final Commission report ducked the critical conflict of interest issue between selling financial services products and delivering them.
There is first the issue of unequal power between a consumer and a financial services organisation.
We know from the Commission that financial services players consistently sought to maximise their returns, even when the best interests of consumers are businesses are voided.
And we know that the general level of financial knowledge and expertise in the community is very low – indeed many do not understand, for example the concept of compound interest, the impact of fees on returns, and even what annual percentage benchmarks really mean.
So, my view is that the RC implementation will not be necessary and sufficient to restore trust in the financial system, even if the large players chose to address their cultural deficits in relation to doing right by their customers. And industry bodies are still fighting rear guard actions to avoid significant change.
Which then takes us back to the weak and compromised regulatory system we have, where APRA and ASIC appear to land more on the side the financial system rather than consumers. So, out of all this, who is minding the back of households and businesses?
In other words Frydenberg’s introduction to this small (14 page) document has a hollow ring to it – or as bankers use to write on bad cheques “words and figures differ!”:
On 4 February 2019, I released Restoring trust in Australia’s financial system, the Morrison Government’s comprehensive response to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry. In it, the Government committed to take action on all 76 of the Royal Commission’s recommendations and, in a number of important areas, go further. It represents the largest and most comprehensive corporate and financial services law reform package since the 1990s.
Of the Royal Commission’s 76 recommendations, 54 were directed to the Government, 12 to the regulators and 10 to the industry. Of the 54 recommendations directed to the Government, over 40 require legislation.In addition to the Commission’s 76 recommendations, the Government in its response announced a further 18 commitments to address issues raised in the Final Report.
The Government has implemented 15 of the commitments it outlined in response to the Royal Commission’s Final Report. This comprises eight out of the 54 recommendations that were directed to the Government and seven of the 18 additional commitments the Government made as part of its response. Significant progress has also been made on a further five recommendations with draft legislation either introduced to the Parliament, released for comment or detailed consultation papers issued.
The Government’s implementation timetable is ambitious. Excluding the reviews that are to be conducted in 2022, under the Implementation Roadmap by mid-2020, close to 90 per cent of our commitments will have been implemented. By the end of 2020 remaining Royal Commission recommendations requiring legislation will have been introduced.
In this Implementation Roadmap, we set out how we will deliver on the remaining Royal Commission recommendations and additional actions committed to. This will provide clarity and certainty to consumers, industry and regulators on the roll out of the reforms.
Of course, the Government’s actions alone will not be sufficient to address the widespread misconduct identified by the Royal Commission. Individual firms must make the changes needed to their culture and remuneration practices to put consumers at the core of their business. I expect industry to also align with the urgency and priority the Government is giving to its implementation task.The Government will ensure that key firms in the financial sector continue to address the issues identified by the Royal Commission.
At the request of Government, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will inquire into progress made by major financial institutions, including the four major banks, and leading financial services associations in implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission. As previously announced, we will also establish an independent review in three years’ time to assess the extent to which changes in industry practices have led to improved consumer outcomes.
The Government is delivering lasting change in the financial sector to ensure public confidence is restored.
Finally, the Australian Banking Association came out with this:
Australia’s banks have welcomed the Government’s timetable for legislative change following the Hayne Royal Commission and will work with the Commonwealth to continue implementing the Commission’s recommendations.
While the forward agenda for the required legislative changes was announced this morning, banks are well down the track of implementing recommendations for which they are responsible to improve customer outcomes and earn back the trust of the Australian community.
Of the Commission’s 76 recommendations, 54 were directed to Government and more than 40 of those recommendations require legislative change. 12 are to be taken forward by the regulators, 10 are for industry to implement – eight of these are specific to the banking industry.
ABA CEO, Anna Bligh said: “Since the Final Report was handed down six months ago, banks have been working to make changes to ensure that the recommendations become part of their operating fabric.
“Make no mistake, banks understand what the community and Government expects of them and are raising their standards to rightly meet those expectations.
“The recommendations included six changes to the Banking Code. All six are underway. The ABA has already drafted provisions implementing five of the changes, had them agreed to by banks and submitted them to the regulators for approval. These are now on track for full implementation by March 2020,” Ms Bligh said.
The sixth change relates to the definition of small business. Consistent with the Commission’s recommendation, the definition was recently changed in the new Banking Code to include businesses with fewer than 100 employees and this measure is now fully operational. The further recommendation to change the financial threshold from $3M to $5M will be subject to a review that will be overseen by ASIC who will examine the potential impacts on the provision of credit to small business. The review is underway and expected to be completed in early 2021.
“In relation to culture within banks, many, including the major banks, have already completed reviews. These banks have also introduced mechanisms for the ongoing tracking of culture to determine whether actions are having the necessary impact. But banks understand that effective cultural change is not going to come about through implementing the Royal Commission recommendations alone. It will only be achieved by putting the customer at the heart of every decision our banks make.
“In addition, all banks continue to review how they remunerate staff, with a focus on good customer outcomes, not just meeting financial targets,” Ms Bligh said.
Following the release of the Final Report, the ABA established a dedicated Royal Commission Taskforce to oversee the industry’s implementation of the recommendations. This Taskforce has met six times over the past six months and will continue to meet regularly to ensure the industry responds swiftly to the Government’s legislative processes and acts to fully implement the recommendations
Hi
The community expects that banks will continue to openly steal from customers accounts! Because no one was prosecuted for doing so. Now with Bail In and cash transaction limits the Fascist Government is showing it’s hands by effectively patting the banks on the head.
I contacted my local member by mail and then phone as he decided not to reply. He could not be contacted of course. (Blue Ribbon Liberal). The person in his office whom I finally spoke to knew nothing about bail in and cash transaction limits. If they aren’t telling their own staff the truth about what’s going on they are never going to do the right thing by their constituents.
I ask what other shady operations are going on? What’s next to be slipped in under a smokescreen of aged care royal commission or something.
The liberals think they won the election. Clive Palmer’s fear campaign and a few other red herrings saved them and they defaulted into position.
Cheers
Tradie