Another Senate inquiry

A Senate committee will conduct another inquiry into aspects of banking; in this instance, the costs, terms and availability of finance for small businesses and whether steps could be taken to ensure a freer flow of credit to the sector.

The Liberal and National parties proposed the inquiry, agreed yesterday by the Senate.

The government guarantee on bank liabilities will also be subject to scrutiny less than a year after a different Senate committee spent time on the topic, with no impact.