“Bear with me” means “please be patient with me”. It is useful when the speaker needs to look something up, manage a small delay or finish a complicated explanation. Here, bear means to tolerate or allow. It is not the animal, and it should not be written as bare with me: bare means to uncover a body or object, so the meaning changes completely.
The phrase is softer than a direct Wait and a little more formal than Hang on a sec. It sounds natural in Australian workplaces and service encounters, though it is not uniquely Australian. For example: “Bear with me while I pull up your booking.” The other person might reply, “No worries.” The expression acknowledges that you are taking a little of someone’s time while politely asking for patience.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bear-with
https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/doorstop-interview-on-28-december-2020
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