Please read this article and ask yourself does this prove that Australia needs greater checks and balances on our financial and other institutions?

http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,22270197-462,00.html

Isn't this what we elect our politicians and government authorities to police? How can a bank charge fees it didn't pay and this not be a form of fraud?

In how many other ways do banks overcharge their clients that we don't know about?

Where are our elected representitives on issues like this? They are our supposed lawmakers ... How long has this been going on and shouldn't we make the banks pay these moneys back?

Our politicians keep crowing that it is our democracy and laws that make us a strong and vibrant nation... well stop crowing and make this an election issue.

Add this to Work Choices objections ... Shouldn't we want corporate Australia to be fully accountable and not above the law?

mate, read how they do things in a democracy(google: direct democracy arizona), and learn what 'newspeak' means, and you will come to understand they can get away with this, and much else, because yer average ozzie is an ignorant yokel.

nothing you can do about it, 1000 years of british fore-lock tugging has had a genetic effect. best to go quietly.

You cant always believe all that is published by the media and especially when it about the legal system.
It has been alleged in the article that this matter was dealt with by the Vic Supreme Court but which type of Court, the dispute resolution process as an entity provided for by the Parliament of the State properly constituted under the SEAL of the Court or the other concept, the one described by the High Court in Bruno Grollo v Michael Palmer at para 14, the persona designata jurisdiction of which is not constituted by the Court SEAL but with the Registry stamp, in which the individual, who used to be a judge of the Supreme Court, ( para 16 HCA Kable v The DPP NSW) sits at the bench and just pretends to be sitting in a properly constituted court as a honest judge.
In this particular case I would suggest that this victim of the every day Bank fraud was a close friend of the member of the legal profession who dealt with this matter in the dispute resolution process held out to be a court.
If you have any doubts about these allegations try and get a copy of the complete court file from the Court Registry displaying on its face " The Seal of the Supreme Court of Victoria", it is a public document. It is certainly not available in Queensland with the seal displayed all that you will see is the Supreme Court Office Brisbane stamp.
The Banks will never be forced to pay anything back because they also engage the same dishonest members of the legal profession who will just take the decision to appeal and the one with the most money wins in the end. Do you honestly believe that the Govt would believe that it would be in the public interest to expose the rampant out of control fraud and require the Banks pay back hundreds of millions that has been a result of bank fraud. Who do you think the Banks employ to conducts these scams, the local office-girl

Here is a good explanation:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18205.htm

Thankyou for the replies... most enlightening.

Whilst I realise that you can't always believe what you read in the papers, I also realise that often important wrongs can be outed via media, sometimes actioned but usually ignored. This alleged wrong may have set a legal precedence.

So somehow we as citizens need to place these matters under the eyes of our see no evil, hear no evil, plausible deniabilty politicians. And what better year to do it in an election year?

This is one of the things that people don't seem to realise... If you don't put things in writing it makes the plausible deniabilty card easier to play by pollies.

So I plan to email this article to a few politicians and to see if they reply... Afterall my replies received will be evidence that they knew OR at least a staffer knew. Now if that staffer doesn't pass it on then be it on their heads.

This article and what it alleges may be, if correct, a class action type event and I hope everyone who may have suffered at the hands of a bank contacts someone such as Slater and Gordon Solicitors to see if they might recoup these fees.

I like the idea of class actions... we underlings empowered by the the law to seek justice where we would otherwise not have the opportunity through lack of funds.

If a bank in your opinion has dudded you then go them ... It is only fair... If hardship caused you to default on a loan they certainly wouldn't hesitate to go you.

Oh Slater and Gordon Solicitors can be contacted on http://www.slatergordon.com.au/ or by ringing FREEcall 1800 555 777

If you know anyone who has been allegedly dudded get them to give S&G a ring.

Oh by the way I do not work for Slater & Gordon and have no interest in their operations ... I just know they are very good at what they do.

You are right about these bank fees of course it is all a scam encouraged by the Howard Government. If Strip Club Rudd ever gets elected and creates a National Bank as the Commonwealth Bank used to be before privatisation would you support this ?
The Banks only started to take liberties after the Commonwealth Bank was privatised when it was Nationalised it kept the other Banks honest within the competition.