Australians are rushing to ATMs to withdraw money in an act of defiance as part of an event organised by a Facebook group.
The event was organised by pro-cash group Cash is King Australia which recently posted, “cash out tomorrow June 14th”.
“Bank branch or ATM, get it out, use it don’t lose it,” it said.
Members flooded the page with posts supporting the initiative on Friday.
“Just got some cash out this morning in Sydney CBD. Let them know that we won’t let them take cash away!”, one said.
One reported technical issues with the Suncorp Bank app, appearing to point out the mass transactions were to blame.
A similar event was held in April by Facebook group Cash Welcome, which said the initiative would allow for thousands of dollars to be let out into the community and banks would be “running around to refill ATMS”.
A post in the leadup to Friday’s event said: “The last one worked well and already they’re looking at fines for stores that don’t allow cash. Choice is ours. Fight to keep cash alive.”
It comes amid an increasing pushback from some Australians against the increasing reliance on digital payments.
Last week a popular Perth bakery chain backflipped on its decision to go cashless after its staff received a flood of abuse from customers.
The chain’s owner said the bakery was once again accepting cash after its decision to revoke notes and coins as payment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some MPs have played a role in the fight against a cashless society with independent MPs Andrew Gee, Bob Katter and Dai Le introducing a bill to parliament earlier this month in a bid to prevent the phasing out of cash.
The bill would require business in face-to-face settings to accept cash payments for transactions that do not exceed $10,000.
A maximum civil penalty of $5,000 would apply for individuals and $25,000 for companies who fail to comply under the proposed reforms.
Mr Katter last week warned Australians could go hungry if unable to make payments with card or via digital transfer as “the bank controls that card”.
“If the bank says ‘no you can’t use that card to buy a loaf of bread’, well then you’ll just have to go hungry,” he told Sky News Australia.
“If we’ve got the money in our pocket, by law, they must take that money. So, you know, I can still buy my loaf of bread.”