Corporate entry: Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia Limited, Archives
Summary
The commonwealth Bank of Australia was founded in 1911 under the Commonwealth Bank Act of that year, and general banking activities commenced in 1913. In 1920 the Bank amalgamated with the Queensland Government Savings Bank, and in 1927 the Savings Bank Department of the Bank became a separate legal entity known as the Commonwealth Savings Bank of Australia. The Commonwealth Bank Act of 1945 formally established the Commonwealth Bank as Australia's central bank and provided that the Bank's general business should be conducted in a General Banking Division. In 1953 further legislation established the Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia which took over the trading bank functions previously performed by the General Banking Division. The Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia became a member bank of the Commonwealth Banking Corporation, formed in 1960, following legislation of the previous year which provided for the separation of the central banking and non-central banking elements of the Commonwealth group of banks, with the establishment of the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Commonwealth Banking Corporation.
THE ARCHIVIST, COMMONWEALTH TRADING BANK OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CNR. MARTIN PLACE AND PITT STREET, Box 2: Miscellaneous Items719 G.P.O., SYDNEY, 2001.
The archivist advised that limited records were held of central and northern Queensland banks. The following details were provided: Records known to be held are of Cairns from 1907, Rockhampton from 1912 and Townsville from 1913. the Rockhampton holding is very small. Records include those of the Queensland Government Savings Bank which was taken over in 1920. A large collection of photographs is held, of bank premises from 1912, this includes photographs of banks in central and northern Queensland. Researchers should apply in advance to the archivist at the above address for access to the records.