Recent events at Bondi have left a profound mark on Australia. The loss of life, the trauma experienced by victims, families, witnesses and first responders, and the shock felt across the nation will not simply fade with time. For many, healing may never fully come, and it would be naïve to suggest otherwise. Moments like this change communities and they change countries. Australia will not be quite the same.
It is important to acknowledge that grief does not follow a neat or predictable path. In the immediate aftermath, there is sadness, disbelief and mourning. Over time, that grief often evolves. Anger, frustration and a search for meaning or accountability can emerge, sometimes directed inward, sometimes outward. These emotional phases are natural, but if left unsupported, they can compound the long-term harm to individuals and communities.
This is where emergency management extends well beyond response. True emergency management is not only about what happens in the minutes or hours after an incident, but about ensuring that recovery is launched at the earliest possible opportunity. Recovery is not about forgetting what has occurred; it is about enabling communities to function again, to feel safe again and to reclaim places that have been scarred by violence.
Bondi is more than a location. It is a community, a place where people live, work, and belong as well as a workplace for thousands, a cultural landmark and a destination recognised nationally and internationally. Local jobs, small businesses and livelihoods depend on people feeling confident to return, first locals, then visitors from across Australia and the world. If fear and avoidance take hold indefinitely, the damage extends far beyond the initial act, embedding long-term economic and social consequences into the community.
One of the great challenges we face collectively is supporting people to rediscover the desire to return, to walk the streets, visit the cafés, enjoy the coastline and reoccupy shared public spaces. This does not mean rushing grief or dismissing trauma. It means creating the conditions where safety, confidence and community presence can gradually be restored.
Emergency management, at its core, is about limiting harm, not just at the point of impact, but over time. Prolonged community suffering only magnifies the original intent of those who sought to inflict fear and division. Allowing that suffering to define the future hands power back to the perpetrators. That is something we cannot allow.
Honouring those affected means more than remembrance alone. It means committing to recovery, supporting local communities, protecting livelihoods and ensuring that places like Bondi remain symbols of life, connection, and resilience, not permanent reminders of violence.
Recovery is not easy, and it is never linear. But it is essential. And it must begin early, be sustained, and be led with care, compassion and resolve.
