CESPHN works with healthcare providers, emergency services and government agencies to strengthen the preparedness, response and recovery capability of the primary healthcare sector during emergencies and disasters. The program supports continuity of care, workforce coordination and community resilience across central and eastern Sydney.
Disaster management
Primary Care Emergency Response Team maintained for emergency and disaster readiness.
Primary care response supported following the Bondi critical incident.
Climate Change and Population Health Plan implementation continued.
During 2025-26, CESPHN played a key role in supporting health system responses following the Bondi Beach attack. Working with government agencies, healthcare providers and community organisations, CESPHN helped coordinate mental health and wellbeing services for affected individuals and communities, including expanded psychological support, care navigation and community-based services.
CESPHN also maintained readiness through the Primary Care Emergency Response Team, a network of volunteer healthcare professionals available to support communities during emergencies and critical incidents. This workforce strengthens local response capability and helps maintain access to primary healthcare services during periods of increased demand.
Alongside this work, CESPHN continued to implement its Climate Change and Population Health Plan, supporting actions that strengthen resilience to climate-related health impacts and future emergencies.
Bondi Beach attack response
A coordinated response to community trauma
Following the Bondi Beach attack, CESPHN worked alongside government, health, community and faith-based organisations to deliver a coordinated mental health and wellbeing response that extended beyond immediate crisis support. Through strong partnerships, rapid commissioning and culturally responsive approaches, CESPHN helped ensure individuals, families and communities could access timely support during a period of significant distress and uncertainty.
Recognising that the impacts of trauma are often long-lasting, CESPHN invested in both clinical and community-based recovery initiatives. This included establishing the Bondi Medicare Mental Health Centre, supporting primary care providers, expanding psychological support services and strengthening service navigation pathways to connect people with appropriate care.
Supporting access to care
The Bondi Medicare Mental Health Centre became a key component of the recovery response, supporting 166 people and delivering 837 occasions of service in its first months of operation.
CESPHN also worked closely with general practice, mental health providers and community services to improve referral pathways, promote help-seeking and ensure people affected by the attack could access appropriate support when needed.
Strengthening support for Jewish communities
A key focus of the response was supporting Jewish communities across NSW, the ACT and nationally. Working closely with the Australian Government and Primary Health Networks across Australia, CESPHN played a leadership role in developing a nationally coordinated approach to ensure Jewish communities in every state and territory could access culturally responsive mental health and wellbeing supports.
Within NSW and the ACT, CESPHN collaborated with neighbouring PHNs to deliver a statewide small grants and grassroots grants program that expanded access to wellbeing supports and strengthened community capacity.
Jewish Care provides free psychological support services, face-to-face and via telehealth, alongside therapeutic group programs, peer support, outreach activities and mental health literacy initiatives.
Jewish House delivers trauma-informed counselling, psychosocial support, crisis assistance, recovery activities and targeted outreach designed to foster connection, resilience and healing across the community.
Additional grant funding supported community organisations across metropolitan, regional and rural areas, including Northern Rivers Jewish Community Organisation, Chabad Byron Bay, COA Sydney, Maccabi NSW’s Maccabi All Abilities program, Chabad North Shore, Hunter Chabad, Chabad of Rural and Regional Australia, the ACT Jewish Community, Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (Bondi Chabad), Jewish Education Matters (JEMS), Parramatta and District Synagogue, Rabbinical Council NSW, CBD Chabad Sydney and Nefesh Synagogue.
Community impact
“It provided a safe and supportive space to reconnect with my body and helped me begin releasing some of the trauma that I have been carrying since December. It was an experience that reminded me of Jewish and psychological wisdom of how closely our spiritual, psychological and physical responses to trauma are intertwined, and how important it is to address them all in the healing process.” – Participant, weekly women’s group
Participants described these initiatives as creating opportunities for emotional regulation, social connection and resilience-building, while fostering hope and supporting post-traumatic recovery.
Working together for recovery
Throughout the response, CESPHN played a leadership role across local, state and national recovery efforts, bringing together PHNs, government agencies, health services, schools and community organisations to coordinate activities and address emerging needs.
The response reinforced the value of trusted partnerships, culturally responsive services and community-led recovery. It also demonstrated the importance of collaboration across all levels of the health and community service system, from national funding and policy arrangements through to grassroots organisations supporting people in their local communities.