Media Release: Appoints Customer Advocate

Document date:  Tue 19 Mar 2002
Published:  Mon 25 Mar 2002 08:37:23
Document No:  188389
Document part:  A
Market Flag:  N
Classification:  Company Administration - Other 

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP       2002-03-19  ASX-SIGNAL-G

HOMEX - Melbourne                                                     

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ANZ today announced the appointment of Mr Bill Robinson as Customer
Advocate, a new independent and senior position designed to ensure
satisfactory resolution of customer issues and complaints.

The appointment of the Customer Advocate was foreshadowed in the 2001
ANZ Customer Charter, which made a series of promises to provide
customers with better service including an improved complaint
resolution process. Mr Robinson will be responsible for providing an
independent and impartial approach to negotiating resolution of
personal customer complaints and disputes where a complaint has not
been resolved to a customer's satisfaction by ANZ's internal
complaint resolution procedures.

Mr Robinson is presently Chief Executive Officer of the Legal
Practice Board of Victoria and Chairman of the External Audit
Committee of the State Revenue Office of Victoria. For six years
prior to his present position, he was a Commission Member of the
Australian Securities Commission. He has legal training and extensive
legal management experience in senior State and Federal Government
positions, including negotiation and resolution of disputes and
litigation.

ANZ Chief Executive Officer Mr John McFarlane said Mr Robinson's
appointment was a signal of the bank's commitment to addressing
protracted customer service issues and ensuring prompt and fair
problem resolution.

"Bill's appointment will also help promote the importance of quality
management and service recovery issues within ANZ and manage
adherence to the existing Customer Charter and future improvements.
ANZ is serious about this role making a difference and I am pleased
we have attracted someone of his seniority and experience to the
role," Mr McFarlane said.

Mr Robinson's appointment is a further step in improving ANZ's
relationship with customers and the community. It follows the
introduction of the ANZ Customer Charter and fee-free transaction
banking for over 60s and Commonwealth Health Card Holders in 2001,
and lower cost personal banking accounts in 2002.

The Customer Advocate will complement, not substitute, the Australian
Banking Industry Ombudsman to whom customers will continue to have
access. Mr Robinson will take up his position on 6 May 2002.

For media enquiries, contact:

Paul Edwards
Head of Group Media Relations
Telephone: 03-9273 6955 or 0409-655 550 (mobile)
Email edwardp12@anz.com