ANZ's Shayne Elliott, the lone survivor of the ongoing cull of senior executives at the major banks, has one less headache to deal with after the expiry of his term as chair of the Australian Banking Association. The ANZ boss yesterday made way for Commonwealth Bank's Matt Comyn to preside over the peak body. Elliott was thrown the poisoned chalice in October 2017 amid the furore over the CBA anti-money laundering scandal that claimed the scalp of Comyn's predecessor, Ian Narev. Narev had been earmarked to take the ABA chair in December of that year. While the ABA a few years ago was often described in the financial press as Australia's most powerful industry lobby group, its influence has waned since the Hayne royal commission handed its findings and recommendations to the Morrison government in February. The association has largely shelved its intensive lobbying along with its controversial campaigns to justify the industry's hefty profits. That incarnation of the ABA appears to have been replaced by a soft-touch marketing ensemble trying to raise a few claps for a battered and freaked out membership base. Throughout 2019, most of chief executive Anna Bligh's public campaigning has focused on social issues such as financial abuse of the elderly. The controversial CEO has largely kept silent during recent imbroglios over the failure of ABA members to pass on the full benefit of official rate cuts. While the major banks focus on mending their reputations, there are also a few questions around whether the ABA can be patched up (yet again) as an effective lobby group. Comyn yesterday gave no clues as to whether the ABA would try to re-enter the helter-skelter of public debates on banking during his tenure over the next two years. His few comments, contained in a press release, seem to indicate that the ABA will stick to soft marketing for now. "The industry is working hard to improve customer outcomes, implement the royal commission and other regulatory changes, and align the government's objectives to grow the economy," Comyn said. "I look forward to working with ABA members to help drive change across the industry so that it can earn back the trust of the Australian people and continue to be an important pillar of the community and economy." Given the venom still being directed at the industry in light of the controversies over interest rates and AML non-compliance, Comyn's first move might be to find a new chief executive to help restore the peak body's standing as a viable advocate in Canberra. Tough gig that.