More time needed for banking royal commission

JUNE 6, 2018: I'm backing the call from small business ombudsman Kate Carnell for the banking royal commission to be given more time to fully consider some of the issues before it, including treatment of Bankwest customers.These are the kinds of cases that prompted me to fight for a banking royal commission, and while I understand that there are time constraints, the royal commission has heard just four Bankwest case studies out of close to 2000. More of those people who have been affected need to be given the opportunity to tell their stories.I was also surprised to see that Ms Carnell herself was not given the opportunity to appear before the royal commission given the extent of work her office has done in this space.If anyone can give a clear overview of some of the issues here it would be the office of the small business ombudsman.The current 12-month timeframe for the banking royal commission may have seemed appropriate when it was announced.However, it has now become clear that the banking misconduct exposed is serious, extensive and systemic. Consequently, it’s time to consider immediately extending both the length of the inquiry and the terms of reference, to ensure that more complex matters such as Bankwest can be thoroughly investigated.