Building readiness before crisis: how long-term partnership strengthened Lifeline’s response after Bondi

Investing in capability

nib foundation has partnered with Lifeline since 2020 to strengthen mental health support. A key focus of our partnership has been supporting the design, development and launch of Lifeline’s Support Toolkit — a self-guided digital platform integrated into Lifeline’s core services, that has seen 1.2 million unique users since 2023.

The Support Toolkit was created to help people access support in a way that works for them. It offers plain-language information, practical tools, lived-experience stories and clear pathways to further help. Importantly, it supports people across the full spectrum of need — including those who may not be ready to speak to someone, as well as those supporting others.

This long-term investment focused on building strong foundations: filling a service gap with, wellbeing-informed design, and the ability to develop and publish relevant content quickly when community needs change.

Responding when the community needed information

In the two days following the Bondi terror attack, many people experienced shock, grief, fear and heightened anxiety. Demand for Lifeline’s services rose sharply, with calls increasing by up to 15% and 700 volunteer crisis supporters stepping in to ensure people could still access support when they needed it most.

Alongside face-to-face and phone support, there was an immediate need for accessible, reliable information that people could engage with in their own time.

Because the Support Toolkit infrastructure was already in place, Lifeline was able to rapidly create and publish Bondi-specific wellbeing content, including a dedicated wellbeing support guide. This content was made available to the public within a few hours of the attack, providing practical guidance to help people understand trauma responses, manage distress, and know when and how to seek further support.

In the two weeks following the attack, the Bondi wellbeing content was accessed by 28,657 people, demonstrating both the scale of community need and the importance of having trusted digital support ready to deploy.

This rapid response would not have been possible without the underlying Toolkit structure that had been built over four years with nib foundation as its founding partner.

Complementing support on the ground

At the same time, Lifeline staff and volunteers were providing face-to-face support as part of a Community Crisis Support Hub operating from the Bondi Pavilion, alongside other agencies. This complemented Lifeline’s digital and phone services and ensured people had multiple ways to access support depending on what felt right for them.

Together, these channels reflected Lifeline’s broader approach: meeting people where they are, offering support before distress escalates, and providing pathways to further help when needed.

Why long-term, flexible funding matters

Lifeline’s Bondi response did not begin in the days after the attack. It was enabled by years of investment in capability — in tools, systems and ways of working that allow Lifeline to respond quickly, thoughtfully and at scale.

Long-term, flexible funding gives organisations the ability to build this kind of readiness. It supports core capability rather than prescribing outputs, enabling partners to adapt their work as community needs evolve.

Lifeline’s ability to rapidly deliver high-quality, relevant wellbeing content after Bondi is one example of the kind of impact that nib foundation’s long-term funding approach makes possible, ensuring that when communities are searching for support, help is already there.