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Aussies fight back against cashless society

Cash usage has rebounded in Australia after a long decline, and the Australian government is taking action to protect cash usage. This is just one of the ways that Aussies are fighting back against cashless society.

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May 29, 2026 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, Connect Media

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The push towards cashless isn't just in the U.S., it also has entered the land down under of Australia. Cash usage has fallen significantly in the country, from 69% in 2007 to 16% in 2022, according to data from National Seniors Australia.There has been a push from multiple angles, including governments and businesses, to go cashless. However, Aussie citizens have pushed back and seen some success.

For example, Australian citizens have annually supported Cash Out Day,which takes place on April 28. Supported by multiple groups including the Australian Retailers Association, it challenges customers to go out to their ATM to withdraw cash to show that the demand for cash is still healthy.

Cash payments in recent years have seen a rebound as a result of efforts such as this, rising to 19% as of the most recent data from the Reserve Bank of Australia. In addition, the Australian government put in place the Cash Acceptance Mandate on Dec. 15, 2025. This mandate requires fuel and grocery retailers to accept cash for payments of $500 or less.

The government states that this mandate, "provides the greatest net benefits to resolving the policy problem by maintaining access to essential goods for cash-dependent Australians, strengthening payment system resilience and avoiding future infrastructure costs."

However, some groups state that this mandate doesn't go far enough, such as Cash Welcome, a cash advocate in Australia and supporter of the Cash Out Day. To learn more about cash usage and pro-cash efforts in Australia, ATM Marketplace reached out to Jason Bryce, campaign manager for Cash Welcome.

Q: What is the history behind Cash Welcome?

Bryce: In 2020, my local bank branch closed down suddenly and three ATMs were also closed. This happened despite queues out the door every morning, and especially on pension day. There was no way the bank could claim that this branch was not busy or valued by the community. At around the same time, my local supermarket also went cashless in response, they said, to health fears about COVID transmission. The supermarket quickly changed its mind as customers complained. Clearly, the banks and big retailers did not want to deal in cash and they were acting to limit our access to cash in the face of strong public demand for physical notes and coins.

I started talking about this issue - access to cash - while card schemes and banks seemed to be actively using the pandemic to steer people away from cash. I attended an industry conference and asked the cash industry - ATM companies, security businesses, Cash In Transit operators both big and small to support me to push back on the media assumption that the cashless society is inevitable and imminent.

Q: What are cash trends like in Australia?

Bryce: In the last five years I have challenged every media story that predicts a cashless society with facts, statistics, research and logic. With the support of thousands of Australians, we have destroyed this widely-held belief that cash will soon (or eventually) be replaced by digital currency and electronic transactions.

Now, cash usage is trending UP in Australia. There is more cash in circulation this year than any previous year. There has been no fall in the number of cash withdrawals made monthly in Australia since we began this campaign. The Reserve Bank of Australia has recently reported (two weeks ago) that 19% of in-person transactions are now made using cash, a significant jump UP from 16% three years ago.

Q: How strong is cashless in Australia?

Bryce:Australia is generally an early adopter when it comes to new payment tech. Apple Pay is widespread. Contactless payments are the norm. Australian regulators have previously revealed they believe a cashless Australia is inevitable. In the last five years we have disrupted the accepted beliefs and used facts to push back on the dominant narrative. Predicting a cashless society is scary clickbait for the media and works to generate fear and wonder in the public. How a cashless Australia would work reliably and securely in everyday life is never clearly explained. We have destroyed the assumption that a cashless society is inevitable or even possible, let alone preferable.

Q: Has the Australian government done anything regarding cash mandates or cashless support?

Bryce: The Australian government has reacted to our campaign calling for a cash guarantee by introducing a cash mandate. This means that from 1st January 2026, supermarkets and fuel retailers must accept cash. This has been popular across the nation and particularly in rural and regional areas. We hope the cash mandate will be expanded in future years to include all large retailers, billers and merchants.

Q: Do these efforts go far enough?

Bryce:The Australian government has previously been accused of managing the decline of cash, rather than regulating a viable and thriving industry. The cash mandate does NOT go far enough but does represent a 180-degree about-face for a country that previously was speeding toward a cashless future.

Q: How successful was the Cash Out Day? Can you share any statistics?

Bryce: ATM companies report a rise in cash withdrawals of 5 - 7% on Tuesday 28th April 2026 (Cash Out Day). That is significant enough for banks and regulators to notice. Cash Out Day started in response to a cash distribution crisis in Australia three years ago and has grown each year. This has been a really effective protest movement, is widely recognised and will only grow in the future.

Q: What are some long-term goals for Cash Welcome?

Bryce: I am hoping that we can make cash welcome again everywhere! Cash is publicly owned currency, whereas bank deposits are privately owned by the bank. Our Cash Welcome campaign has an important message for all consumers everywhere. Banks and governments are not doing enough to support our right to access and use legal tender in our local communities, easily and cheaply.

Q: Anything else you'd like to share?

Bryce:I don't believe a cashless future is possible or desirable. Our privacy, freedom, security and budgeting depend on our ability to access our money as cash when we need to. If banks want to maintain trust, they need to provide us with our money as cash on demand.

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About Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper is an experienced editor for Connect Media. He has written across a wide range of beats, ranging from food to digital signage to banking, and is the current editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing. When he’s not crafting a story, you can find him going for a run or spending time with his wife and three sons.

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