1969 News Report Demonstrates How to Use the First ATM in Australia

Lori Dorn
January 3, 2026

An episode of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) series This Day Tonight from 1969 demonstrated how a special card could be inserted into a machine to dispense cash at a Sydney bank. This was the very first ATM in Australia.

A representative from Chubb, the machine’s manufacturer, explained how bank customers can get a card and begin using it. Unlike today’s cash machines, only $25 would be dispensed, and the card would be returned to the customer only after the bank had processed the transaction.

The ABC’s This Day Tonight looks at a ‘convenient’ new ATM. Sadly, the card needs to be posted back to the user and only $25 can be dispensed

Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.