We have also been able to deliver on reducing fees on our transaction accounts and making improvements to our mobile app to make it more user friendly. There has been strong demand for loans from Members to assist with purchasing homes, cars and making investments in their businesses which has led to record lending volumes. Queensland Country this financial year has issued more than $600m in new loans which has helped more of our Members achieve their financial goals.

Our commitment to providing face to face bank services in regional areas continues to stand us apart from our competition and this issue has been more visible in the media recently with public hearings for the Senate Inquiry into bank closures in regional Australia. Our Members continue to demonstrate the importance of branches in regional Queensland and we see increases in demand for our services as other banks make the decision to close branches in regional towns.

Queensland Country has celebrated a couple of awards recently and these are “Great Place to Work Certified” and “WeMoney Banking Award”. Being "Great Place to Work Certified" means Queensland Country Bank has achieved excellence in creating a positive work environment. To earn this certification, organisations undergo a comprehensive assessment of their workplace culture, including an evaluation of employee feedback and policies. Certification signifies that Queensland Country prioritises employee well-being, fosters a supportive culture, and promotes trust and transparency. 232 staff completed the survey resulting in 89% stating that ‘this is a great place to work’.

The WeMoney Banking awards recognise Australia’s best banking products and innovators in the market. WeMoney is the place Gen Z and Millennial Australians trust to manage their money. It is an online platform that provides independent assessment and ratings of banking products across the banking sector. Queensland Country received awards for the following products:

• Winner - Best for Quality - Car Loans
• Winner - Best Low Deposit Home Loan
• Winner - Best for Investors - Home Loans
• Winner - Outstanding Customer Service - Credit Cards
• Winner - Outstanding Customer Service - Transaction Accounts

These awards are important for us as they demonstrate we are providing very competitive and good value products for our Members and, importantly, the product awards have been for lending products and our customer service.

This financial year has been marked by one of the most significant changes in interest rates in Australia’s history, that no doubt has been well received by those Members who have money invested but has resulted in considerable challenge for those Members who have a loan. If you are concerned about your ability to make your loan repayments, please reach out to your local Branch Manager who can look for ways to assist you.

Thank you for your continued support of Queensland Country Bank.

We are committed to being a welcoming and culturally safe place for both our staff and our Members and have always been driven to connect with and make positive contributions to the communities in which we operate. One of the many ways we can do this is by identifying opportunities across all facets of our business to recognise, learn from and partner with First Nations People.

We’re excited and proud to share our inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan with all our Members!

The motif behind our Reconciliation Action Plan is this wonderful piece of artwork that was designed by Luke Duffy, a Kalkadoon Aboriginal digital contemporary artist. Titled Warukara Yaunati (meaning pathway, tracks growing) represents a pathway and tracks that continue to grow and spread throughout Queensland, all tying back to where our company started – Mount Isa.

The colours Luke has used in his piece represent our brand and the beautiful landscape of Kalkadoon country spreading out to the amazing coastline in Queensland.

There are both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander symbols used in the artwork to represent both cultures within our communities.

Please take the time to read our full Reconciliation Action Plan.

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Queensland Country Bank is proud to be awarded the 2023 Canstar Award for Customer Owned Bank of the Year – First Home Buyer Queensland.

Canstar’s First Home Buyer Award is granted to financial institutions that provide the strongest combination of products and services across the first home buyer market in Australia and offer support to their customers right from the planning stage to settlement of the loan.

Queensland Country Bank CEO, Aaron Newman, said winning this award from Canstar is a true testament to our range of competitive home loan products and providing an end to end service to first home buyers throughout the loan process.

“It’s our commitment to support our Members to attain long-term financial security, and help them achieve their financial goals, such as purchasing their first home.

“We are a regionally focused Queensland bank that always puts its Members first and supports the financial wellbeing of our Members by providing better rates and services tailored to each individual,” said Mr Newman. 

General Manager, Research and Insights at Canstar, Mitch Watson recognised how Queensland Country Bank’s support of their Members made them a good contender for this award.

“Queensland Country Bank particularly stood out for its flexible home deposit arrangements that can potentially assist more first home buyers to get into the market sooner. This area has increased in its relevance recently with renters wanting to escape the rental roundabout as property prices continue to rise and rents hit historic highs in some regions,” says Mr Watson.

“In addition, Queensland Country Bank offered a range of competitive fixed and variable home loans rates to first time buyers, providing affordable choices for prospective homeowners.”

Queensland Country Bank is one of the participating lenders in the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), offering both the First Home Guarantee and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. Under both these guarantees, first home buyers can provide as low as five per cent for their deposit and still avoid paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance.

“Last year, we funded the first ever Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. We’re extremely proud we could help this young Townsville couple buy their first home, as it was a goal they had been working to achieve,” said Mr Newman.

Ms Abbey Walters and Mr Corhan Remfrey, the first successful recipients of the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, say they couldn’t be happier with how Queensland Country Bank helped them achieve their goal of owning their very own home.

Ms Walters and Mr Remfrey said, “From the commencement of our application process, Queensland Country Bank jumped hurdles for us to get us to where we wanted to be, to gain our first home.

“We have been working immensely hard over the last few years to be able to tick this off our bucket list and Queensland Country Bank were more than helpful every step of the way to get us across the line.

“We are absolutely stoked at how Queensland Country Bank managed the entire process with us and had it all sorted for us within just three weeks.

“We couldn’t be any happier as we got to move into our new home together sooner than we thought we could - thank you very much Queensland Country Bank!”

Buying a brand new car is one of those big, exciting milestones that many have on their bucket list. Before you jump into choosing your car, there are a few factors to consider. To help you out, we’ve popped together a quick checklist that can guide your research and get you buying your new car sooner.

• Think about the features you’d like in a car (e.g. number of seats, size, does it need to fit multiple car seats, body, fuel efficiency, boot space, etc.)
• Conduct thorough research on a few cars you’re considering as options – pay attention to the safety features and check for recent recalls
• Take each car you’re interested in for a test drive before committing to one
• Sort out insurance and registration before driving away with your new car
• Decide whether you will trade in your old car or sell it privately
• Chat to your financier to assess your loan options

Queensland Country Bank can help set you up with a new car loan or a green car loan so you can experience that new car smell sooner!

Read our full blog for further information and tips to help you find the car of your dreams.

General Advice Warning: This information is intended to be general in nature and is not personal financial advice. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information in this article, you should consider the appropriateness of the information provided. In particular, you should seek independent financial advice.

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What an August we had in Mount Isa with the Rodeo Festival and 100-year celebrations in full swing with many Australian icons of music, culture, art and rodeo joining in the celebrations. 

To kick off Rodeo Week, our Mount Isa Branch team went all out to decorate the branch with a rodeo-themed birthday party. It was not a surprise that Queensland Country was crowned best-dressed premises by Commerce North West with the huge amount of effort and pride on display. Crackles and the Branch team participated in the Street Parade which was a fun evening topped off by a free concert headlined by Daryl Braithwaite. 

We were proud sponsors of both the Indigenous Rodeo Championships and the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo with four action packed days of rodeo events. Jane Ryan was crowned Queensland Country Bank’s Ladies Breakaway Roping Champion. It was great fun for our Board Member Karen Read and Branch Manager Jude Enriquez to participate in the celebrations in the arena. 

The rodeo festival brought 40,000 visitors from all over Queensland to Mount Isa and it was a great event to showcase the values of Queensland Country Bank and our humble heritage as the Isa Mine Employees’ Credit Union. 

We are already planning for next year!

Are you ready for Christmas? It might seem far away but the reality is, it’s October now so it’s time to start saving up and preparing for the festive season. Try these handy tips to get a head start!

1. Budget! The golden rule for everything, make sure you set yourself a budget and stick to it. This can help you avoid splurging a bit too much.
2. Track your spending – keep track of how much you’re spending on each purchase you make and put money aside into a dedicated savings account, such as our Christmas Club account.
3. Get in early – beat the crowds and soaring prices and do your Christmas shopping sooner rather than later. It’s also worth keeping an eye for sales.
4. Stick to your list – just like when you do your groceries, Christmas shopping is the time you really want to make sure you stick to your list. Don’t forget to check it twice!
5. Consider group gifts – there’s no shame teaming up with siblings, friends and other relatives to buy a gift as a group. Who’s going to say no to saving a bit of extra cash?

Christmas doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. After all, you’re in control of how much you spend. Get your game plan ready!

General Advice Warning: This information is intended to be general in nature and is not personal financial advice. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information in this article, you should consider the appropriateness of the information provided. In particular, you should seek independent financial advice.

Reference: Ramsey Solutions, 2022, 25 tips to save money this Christmas, https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/tips-to-save-money-on-christmas

At Queensland Country we fight fraud in a number of ways. We regularly take action to prevent fraud and protect our members, but we can’t do it alone.

It’s important that you work with us and take precautions to help reduce the likelihood of fraud on your account. In the same way you would lock your doors and secure your home, there are many basic precautions you can take to protect your money, identity, and online banking.

STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PROTECT YOURSELF

1. STOP – Don’t give money or personal information to anyone. Scammers will offer to help you or ask you to verify who you are. Once a scammer has your personal information and banking details it gives them full access to your accounts. Do not allow access to your computer or device if asked to.
2. THINK – Ask yourself could the message or call be fake? If it is not someone known to you or something you were expecting, end the call. Never click on a link in a message or email if you are unsure of the content.
3. PROTECT – Act quickly if something feels wrong, contact us on 1800 075 078 to report the incident.

Following the sale of Queensland Country Health Fund earlier this year, we took the opportunity to give our logo a mini refresh by changing the colour make up of our company name ‘Queensland Country Bank’ to one colour across two lines instead of three. This makes the logo more uniform and helps us to further strengthen the Queensland Country Bank brand, while keeping our brand recognition and legacy in Queensland.

It is also a legal requirement to ensure that the both the Queensland Country Bank brand and the Queensland Country Health Fund brand are presented separately as individual brands in the market place.

Unveiling the refreshed logo

New horizontal bank logo	Previous horizontal bank logo
New vertical bank logo	Previous vertical bank logo

Why have we made this change?

A strong brand presence is essential for building customer loyalty, increasing brand awareness, and driving business growth. We want to continue to build a brand that resonates with our customers and is trusted.

As we continue to grow and look to attract new Members, our aim is to further strengthen our presence across Queensland as we strive to be Queensland’s ‘best’ regional bank. To do this we will continue to help our Members live better lives through better financial wellbeing by offering some of the most competitive products and services while being accessible and easy to do business with.

You will start seeing our new logo being used more frequently as we gradually begin to update our digital channels, sponsorships, branch signage, advertisements, media releases, banners, debit and credit cards, business cards, gift cards, email signatures, brochures, merchandise and other assets.

You'll still see the legacy logo in some of our more high profile locations, such as Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Signage in these locations will be updated when they reach end of life.