However, the account also includes an “assisted withdrawal fee”, where customers taking money out at bank branches, post offices or by phone are charged $3 per withdrawal.

I’d rather not defend banks, but it appears the fee only applies when staff are involved. Withdrawing at an ATM or EFTPOS at checkout seem to remain free.

They should be legally required to provide free assisted withdrawals for seniors, the disabled, and post office withdrawals when an ATM is not within a few km’s, but I don’t think it’d be an issue for everyone else.

Personally I don’t care about this, however I think most bank fees should be illegal, period; especially insufficient balance and all generic monthly fees. Nowadays most of these things are fully-automated, and I’d bet the cost of maintaining an inactive or low activity account are near-zero; the fees are just a tax on the poor, financially illiterate, and busy.