ASX Announcement - National Announces Date of Annual General Meeting - 13 August 2004

The National Australia Bank Group Chairman, Mr Graham Kraehe, announced today that the company’s next Annual General Meeting would be held on 31 January 2005 in Melbourne.

Mr Kraehe said the decision to hold the AGM in January was made in response to shareholder feedback and to provide the National with more time to meet the increasing requirements under the Australian and US accounting and disclosure regimes, Sarbanes Oxley requirements and the impending adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards.

“A number of companies with September year ends traditionally hold their Annual General Meeting in the week before Christmas and shareholders have requested that companies take action to avoid this congestion.  At last year’s AGM, we committed to consider this issue to ensure as many shareholders as possible could attend.  We also received requests for the change of date via our Shareholder Services information line throughout the year.  We have listened to these concerns and have moved the date accordingly,” he said.

The Notice of Meeting and Annual Report will be dispatched to shareholders before Christmas, with the AGM scheduled at the end of January to avoid the traditional holiday period.

The National sought and obtained approval from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) for the change of date of the AGM and consulted with the Australian Shareholders’ Association before making the change.

For further information:

Brandon Phillips    
Group Manager, Group Communications Adviser
03 8641 3857 work    
0419 369 058 mobile    

Samantha Evans   
Group Corporate Relations   
03 8641 4982 work
0404 883 509 mobile