What Thirrili does

Thirrili Ltd is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) headquartered in Darwin, Northern Territory, and founded in 2017 as the national provider of postvention support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples affected by suicide or other fatal traumatic incidents. The organisation operates the Indigenous Suicide Postvention Service across all Australian states, territories, and the Torres Strait Islands, delivering emotional and practical support through immediate bereavement support, care coordination, service connections, coronial process support, grief and healing psychoeducation, and community capacity building. Thirrili employs approximately 50+ staff organised across Executive Leadership, Finance, Program Delivery (with Directors of Service Delivery for Eastern and Western regions), and a regional Connection Team of Indigenous Community Support Workers and Regional Indigenous Suicide Prevention Coordinators/Advocates covering every jurisdiction.

The organisation's core service architecture is built on a four-stage Model of Care framework: Reaching Out and Listening, Connecting and Supporting, Strengthening and Transitioning, and Staying Connected. Service delivery is anchored by a 24/7 national phone line (1800 805 801) answered by Aboriginal Support Advocates, email intake, referral forms, and direct community outreach. Thirrili has expanded its product portfolio through strategic partnerships: a co-designed culturally safe online Yarning Space with SANE Australia (announced June 2024), the You Me Which Way program acquired through partnership with StandBy Support After Suicide (announced July 2024), and Coroner's Toolkits developed with Norton Rose Fulbright. A Systems Change function drives evidence-informed policy advocacy.

Thirrili is a not-for-profit organisation with no commercial revenue model. The organisation is funded primarily through a contract with the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) to deliver the Indigenous Suicide Postvention Service Australia-wide, signed in September 2021 with an initial term through June 2024. Services are provided free of charge to clients. The organisation is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Dr. Summer May Finlay (appointed February 2025), with leadership including CEO Kerry Colbung (PSM) and COO Casey Bird. There is no parent company, no equity funding, and no commercial subsidiaries; the entity operates as a community-controlled membership organisation.

Name

Thirrili

Legal name

Thirrili Ltd

Website

https://thirrili.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Thirrili is a national Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation providing postvention support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples affected by suicide or fatal traumatic incidents across all Australian states and territories, funded primarily by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Suicide Postvention Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Services (EDALAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Indigenous postvention support
• Suicide bereavement services
• Community-led trauma care
• Aboriginal controlled health
• Grief and healing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Darwin

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Thirrili is primarily funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) to deliver the Indigenous Suicide Postvention Service Australia-wide. The organisation signed a contract with NIAA in September 2021 to deliver services until June 2024. As a not-for-profit Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation, revenue comes from government grants and funding agreements rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thirrili delivers the national Indigenous Suicide Postvention Service, providing culturally led, trauma-informed emotional and practical support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families, and communities affected by suicide or other fatal traumatic incidents. Core offerings include a 24/7 national phone referral line (1800 805 801), care coordination, grief and healing psychoeducation, coronial process support, community capacity building, and systems change advocacy, all delivered through a four-stage Model of Care framework.

Product overview

Thirrili is a national Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation providing postvention support services to First Nations peoples. The core offering is the Indigenous Suicide Postvention Service (NIPS), delivered through a four-stage Model of Care framework covering: immediate bereavement support, care coordination, service connections, coronial support, grief and healing psychoeducation. Additional services include Community Capacity Building programs and Systems Change advocacy. Thirrili also manages the You Me Which Way program (acquired from StandBy partnership) and operates a Culturally Safe Yarning Space (in partnership with SANE Australia). The organisation provides 24/7 phone support via 1800 805 801, accepts community self-referrals and practitioner referrals, and offers resources including Coroner's Toolkits for each Australian state and territory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• You Me Which Way: A program providing culturally sensitive support for those affected by suicide, managed by Thirrili through partnership with StandBy Support After Suicide.

Products and services

• Postvention Response Service Thirrili's core service providing culturally led healing and trauma-informed care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities impacted by suicide or other fatal traumatic incidents. Includes coordinated case management, care plans, and Wellbeing Songlines support.
• Model of Care A four-stage care journey framework guiding how Thirrili responds to loss, supports healing, and strengthens long-term social and emotional wellbeing: Reaching Out and Listening, Connecting and Supporting, Strengthening and Transitioning, and Staying Connected.
• Community Capacity Building Program empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to design and lead their own suicide prevention initiatives through community capacity innovation action plans, self-determination support, and workforce development.
• Systems Change Evidence-informed research and policy advocacy service driving systems change to influence policy development and program design for improved social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities.
• You Me Which Way Program Culturally sensitive support program for those affected by suicide, managed by Thirrili through partnership with StandBy Support After Suicide. Facilitates discussions on suicide and self-harm to promote healing and resilience within Indigenous communities.
• Culturally Safe Yarning Space Online postvention Yarning Space co-designed with SANE Australia, providing a culturally governed and safe online platform for First Nations peoples affected by suicide or trauma to share experiences and access culturally appropriate resources.
• Coroner's Toolkits State and territory-specific resource toolkits developed in partnership with Norton Rose Fulbright to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities through the challenges of navigating the Coroners Court during times of Sorry Business.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StandBy Support After SuicidecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Thirrili and StandBy Support After Suicide announced a partnership to enhance support services for Indigenous communities in Australia. Thirrili now manages StandBy's You Me Which Way program, which provides culturally sensitive support for those affected by suicide. The program was developed with Indigenous communities and facilitates discussions on suicide and self-harm to promote healing and resilience.
• SANE AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024SANE and Thirrili partnership announced to enhance support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families, and communities affected by suicide or trauma. The collaboration introduces a culturally governed and safe online postvention Yarning Space, co-designed to offer tailored support in a culturally sensitive manner. SANE brings extensive experience in online community forums since 2014, while Thirrili provides deep cultural understanding.
• Norton Rose FulbrightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorton Rose Fulbright and Thirrili partnered to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities through the challenges of navigating the Coroners Court during times of Sorry Business. Norton Rose Fulbright provides legal expertise while Thirrili brings cultural expertise to ensure families' voices are heard.
• Lowitja InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThirrili Board Chair Dr Summer May Finlay contributed to a Lowitja Institute position paper on strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander evaluations. The paper highlights that evaluations are most effective when grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 13YARN: 24/7 crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, operated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander counsellors. Closest direct peer in culturally safe crisis-line service delivery for Indigenous Australians.
• SANE Australia: Mental health organisation running online community forums and stigma reduction programs. SANE is Thirrili's partner for the Culturally Safe Yarning Space and shares a focus on digital peer support and suicide prevention.
• Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention peak body. Highly relevant peer in Indigenous-led mental health sector leadership and policy.
• StandBy Support After Suicide: Australia's leading post-suicide support program, operating broadly across communities. StandBy is a direct peer in postvention support and is also a strategic partner of Thirrili (You Me Which Way program transfer).

Broad incumbents

• Lifeline Australia: National 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention service. Lifeline is a broader incumbent offering general population crisis support, overlapping with Thirrili's 1800 number and postvention referral pathways.
• NACCHO (National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation): National peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations. Thirrili's Chair and several Directors have NACCHO network ties, and NACCHO operates the broader ACCO ecosystem Thirrili belongs to.
• Mind Australia: Major community-managed mental health provider delivering psychosocial support and suicide prevention services. Comparable in service delivery model and postvention-adjacent support, though not Indigenous-specific.
• Black Dog Institute: Leading Australian clinical research institute for mental health and suicide prevention. Operates the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre led by a Thirrili Board Director, making it a sector peer in Indigenous mental health.
• Headspace: National youth mental health foundation providing counselling and early intervention. Overlaps with Thirrili's youth-adjacent and community-based mental health support, though Headspace serves a broader demographic.

Emerging players

• Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA): National peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander allied health professionals. Shares ACCO governance principles and Indigenous-led workforce focus with Thirrili, with overlapping Board leadership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ThirriliIndigenousSuicidePostventionService
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thirrili

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thirrili