Hi Pete,
In response to your assertions. You say "Paul1405 – you seem to despise the fact that a business can exist to make money." No not at all, it is only fair and reasonable that those that take a risk should be rewarded.
You say "Actually, the only reason a business does exist is to make money." Not at all, my son has a very successful business, which granted, could not exist in the long term if it did not make money, but my son also gets enjoyment from what he does. Take a doctor with a practice in a small town, could have an altruistic motive for conducting business there, and not in a big city where he could make more money. Some in business are not just driven by the profit motive, there are other reasons to be in business.
You say "you (Paul1405) seem to have some feeling of entitlement that bugs me." Firstly I'm deeply sorry that you are "bugged". No, quite the opposite, I have no expectation of any kind of entitlements from banks.
You say. "I agree that there is a need for minimum standards set by a regulatory authority (which represents the will of the people through the government system and legislation) to cover labour conditions and business conduct and we have these in place."
Then government will have to legislate from time to time, to impose the perceived will of the people, as government can never be quite sure what that will is at any given time, on business through regulatory authorities. Must agree with that.
p/s The Life of Brian a very funny movie.

I didn't have lending in mind when I had my whinge, Yabby. Just the sheer, unadulterated inefficiency that permeates the system.

Through my business, I have acquired what they call a "personal banker". This is a name on a business card, together with a phone number.

I have cause to ring maybe once, twice a year, max. When I do, it is usually some kind of problem that is holding me up, and I need the Bank to solve it.

So I ring the number. It rings out. There is no facility to leave a message. I look up the phone number of the Branch. There isn't one. There is a 13 number that is answered by a menu. None of the menu items allows me to talk to my personal banker. After a while, I get through to a human being. Can I speak to Joe Bloggs please. "I'll try his number..." no-o-o-o, don't do tha.. too late. It rings out. I call back. I negotiate the menu again. This time I'm quick enough to stop being put through, and explain that Joe is my personal banker, he isn't answering, is there someone else there who can help? "I'll try for you". Five minutes of hold music. "I'm sorry, who were you calling?" No, you were calling on my behalf... "oh, that was a different person, I'm just picking up a call that shows on my screen as having waited for five minutes... how can I help you?"

The last occasion that this happened was about three months ago. I eventually had to get out from behind my desk and go in person to the Branch, wasting half a day on top of the half a day I had already spent on the problem.

What I found was a) my "personal banker" had been promoted, and the new guy was... on an induction course.

Back in a week.

a) this is not an isolated incident

b) anecdotally, all banks are equally bad

Transactionally, banks represent good value. It's the unspeakably incompetent management that gets on my wick.

Sorry if I misinterpreted some of your comments Paul. BTW, I intend to give your list to my bank on Monday and see how it goes – no harm in trying.

But apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

I'm not sure whom you bank with Pericles, maybe its also different
in different parts of Australia. I'm with Westpac and I must say
that nearly all the time, they fix the problem when I ring. But
I did get hold of the direct number of my bank manager, although
its not in the book. She'll usually act pretty quickly so I
can't really complain. But for me the best thing is electronic
banking. Its made everything so much easier

Pete,
I am a believer in social justice and equality for all. I think the system we have in Australia, although far from perfect, is the best method to achieve this outcome. A mix of private enterprise (capital) with public enterprise and regulation (government) will giver a far better overall result than say a totally government dominated social, like existed in Stalinist Russia, when a small elite have total control and privilege whilst the majority become nothing more than slaves to the state. At the other extreme where Capitalism is paramount and the free market determines all outcomes and the state is only required to enforce the will of capital, something like National Socialism, again produces a privileged minority elite with the majority slaves to capital. In both extremes the State runs to excess in enforcing the will of the minority.
What we argue about in our society is not what 'system' to embrace, that has been well and truly established and will not change in the foreseeable future, but how government should operate within the system to achieve the best of outcomes. All sections of society have a responsibility to work to produce a desirable outcome for all of society. Neither business nor labour is immune from meeting their social responsibility.
Pete, what bugs me is to hear a CEO of a big corporation say "my only responsibility is to the share holders." bugs me as much as hearing the head of a big union saying "my only responsibility is to the members." Both are powerful and both are negating their social responsibility.

@ Pericles

Been there done that! Until a very good friend of mine gave me some very sound advice.

Become intimate with your banker and your solicitor, more so with your banker. Every business needs good ones of both and instant access to them. It's amazing what a 12 year old bottle of Jameson and a shout to a table top dancing club a few of times a year will do. Hey business is business and if you want the goods you have to be prepared to give a little to receive a lot :)

But on the subject of: Are Australian banks good or bad?
They're the same as all banks world wide. Low life snake oil salesmen, just ask one who tells the truth and he'll confirm it for you!