HBF CEO John Van Der Wielen said that the decision had been made to protect both branch staff and HBF members from the risk of infection.
“The health of our members and our own people is obviously our first priority and we believe this is the only responsible step to take,” he said.
“We’re very aware that many of the members who come into our branches are older and we know these are the very people most at risk from the virus.”
HBF’s branch staff will continue to work from within HBF’s branches to service members but will do this through other channels including phone and online chat.
Mr Van Der Wielen emphasised that no HBF staff would be stood down.
“There’s no change to the number of people available to serve our members, in fact we’re stepping up our service to make sure we’re there for our members at this crucial time. We’re simply using the communication channels we know are safe for both members and our staff,” John Van Der Wielen said.
He said that HBF had worked hard to maintain its service levels to members since the COVID-19 threat had emerged.
HBF has set up a member webpage for the latest HBF news relating to COVID-19 at: hbf.com.au/covid19.