The Commonwealth Bank have just announced that they have ruled out funding the Carmichael mine. They have joined 24 other banks from around the world in saying they won’t fund this dodgy, destructive, mega mine project.

Greenpeace supporters in Armidale come together to tell CommBank to dump coal.

Greenpeace supporters in Armidale come together to tell CommBank to dump coal.

This is Big News!  

The Commonwealth Bank have just announced that they have ruled out funding the Carmichael mine. They have joined 24 other banks from around the world in saying they won’t fund this dodgy, destructive, mega mine project. But the job isn’t done yet. In the past 18 months, Commbank has funded the most pollution of any Australian bank. The bank is about to release their climate policy and it’s our best chance to secure a commitment to no new fossil fuels.

As the Bank’s Carmichael commitment shows – the pressure is working – and it’s time to ramp it up.

If enough of us pressure the Bank we can move them to end fossil fuel investment. Here are five ways you can let the Bank know that now is the time to act.

  1. Call their feedback line

The Bank’s feedback line is open 24/7 and is a great avenue for letting them know it’s time end fossil fuel investment.

Simply call either 1800 805 605 or +61 2 9687 0756 to leave your feedback.
To skip through the menus and speak to a member of staff press 1, then #, then #

You don’t need to be an expert on the issue to tell the Commonwealth Bank why they should commit to ending fossil fuel investment. The most powerful thing you can do is to explain why this issue matters to you, to your family and to your community. All the facts in the world can’t beat a personal story which connects to the values of protecting the planet.

With that in mind, here are a few short tips and talking points: 

  • Once you call the number you’ll need to press 1, then #, then # to speak to someone. The feedback line are open 24/7. There might be some wait time as more and more of us call the Bank telling them to ditch fossil fuels!
  • Let the person who answers your call know that you’d like to leave some feedback. Let them know you’d like to congratulate the Bank on ruling out funding the Carmichael mine but that now it’s time for the Bank to commit to ending fossil fuel investment in their new climate policy.
  • Let them know, in your own words, why you think it’s important they rule out fossil fuel funding.
  • Ask for your feedback to be recorded and escalated to their manager and to the CEO, Ian Narev. 

It’s important to be polite and courteous with staff in order that the message is heard loud and clear. A personal story is the most compelling feedback you can leave. If you’d like a few punchy talking points to include here are a few:

  • CommBank has funded more pollution in the last eighteen months than any other bank – lifetime emissions of 2.8 billion tonnes CO2 – this is more than five times Australia’s annual emissions
  • 14 banks globally have ruled out new coal projects
  • If the bank is taking its Paris climate commitment seriously, it needs to acknowledge that most of the existing fossil fuel reserves will need to stay in the ground.

    Coal is killing the Reef

    Great Barrier Reef, 2008: Renowned coral scientist Dr John ‘Charlie’ Veron issued a dire warning about the fate of the Great Barrier Reef today when he joined Greenpeace divers in an underwater protest.
    (c) Greenpeace/Dean Miller 2008

  1. Leave a post on their social media.

Leaving a message on the Bank’s facebook wall is really easy. Simply head to https://www.facebook.com/commonwealthbank/ and leave a post! You may want to give them some kudos for ruling out the Carmichael mine but it’s also important to remind them there’s more to be done!

You can also tweet them on @CommBank. Sure they’ll love that.

  1. Leave a review on CommBank’s Smartphone apps.

Leaving a review of the Bank on any smartphone app is now really easy. Simply follow these instructions (with helpful video explainers) to let them know that the job isn’t finished by ruling out the Carmichael mine.

https://www.greenpeace.org.au/wp/review-commbanks-smartphone-apps

  1. Don’t have a smartphone? Leave a google review instead!

Here’s Jacki from the staff team with a video guide on leaving a google review of the Bank:

  1. Send them an e-mail via the NetBank app (for current customers only).

If you’re a customer of the bank you can also send them a message via your Netbank App. You can do this through the secure email form which also means you get a personalised response. To launch a secure email form, visit the Help page in NetBank and select any category from the category tab – all will find their way through to the Bank!

Now’s the time to put the pressure on from every angle possible. Let’s hit every online and public space possible.

Pick up the phone, send them a message on social media or leave a review – whatever works for you!  If enough of us get involved, we can increase the pressure on the Bank to ditch their investment in fossil fuels. So good luck and don’t forget to let the staff team know how you got on by filling out this form: http://act.gp/2wzEBDh