Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW

What Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW does

Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW (legal entity: Regional Community Care Limited) is a non-profit, non-government organisation operating since 1964 across Broken Hill, approximately 70% of South Australia, and Far West NSW. It provides free crisis support, counselling (face-to-face, video, phone), financial counselling, and GambleAware gambling counselling through four Lifeline Connect centres and 24/7 phone (13 11 14) and text (0477 13 11 14) crisis lines. The organisation also delivers a portfolio of nationally accredited training programs including REACH, SafeTALK, Accidental Counsellor, and Indigenous DV-Alert under Registered Training Organisation status (RTO 88036) through Lifeline Australia.

The business operates on a hybrid social enterprise model. Free counselling and crisis services are funded through a combination of government grants (PHN Country SA, NSW Ministry of Health, Australian Government Department of Social Services, NSW Office of Responsible Gambling via GambleAware), individual and corporate donations, community fundraising events, and revenue from eight retail shops selling pre-loved goods across Broken Hill, Clare, Gawler, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Wallaroo, and Moonta. The workforce comprises 35+ paid staff supported by over 350 volunteers, with the We've Got Your Back program deploying trained local Champions for face-to-face peer mental health support in remote Far West NSW and North-East SA.

The organisation is governed by a Board of Directors including Chair Samantha Maiden, Deputy Chair Natalie Simmons, and CEO Deborah Heithersay (appointed mid-December 2025). Strategic sub-brands include Lifeline Connect, How's Ya Mate?, We've Got Your Back, REACH, SafeTALK, Accidental Counsellor, and Indigenous DV-Alert. Distribution relies on the physical retail and Connect centre footprint, the national Lifeline brand affiliation, partnerships with the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section, and community-driven channels such as the Broken Heel Festival LGBTQIA+ awareness partnership.

Name

Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW

Legal name

Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW

Website

https://llsafwnsw.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW is a non-profit NGO providing free crisis support, counselling, financial counselling, and accredited mental health training across regional South Australia and Far West NSW, funded by government grants, donations, and eight retail shops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Crisis Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Crisis counselling services
• Suicide prevention programs
• Mental health support
• Community wellbeing training
• Nonprofit retail operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Broken Hill

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Shop Operations: Lifeline operates 8 retail shops selling pre-loved clothing, accessories, bric-a-brac, toys, books, and furniture. Revenue from these shops helps cover operational costs and fund free community services.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, workplace giving programs, regular giving, and community fundraising events support service delivery.
3. Government Funding: Funding from PHN Country SA for counselling services, NSW Ministry of Health for We've Got Your Back program, and Australian Government Department of Social Services for DV-Alert training.
4. Goods Donations: Community donations of quality furniture and clothing to Lifeline Shops which are sold to financially support counselling services and training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW delivers free crisis support, face-to-face, video and phone counselling, suicide prevention training, and community-based mental health and wellbeing services across Broken Hill, approximately 70% of South Australia, and Far West NSW. Operations are funded through government grants, donations, and proceeds from 8 retail shops selling pre-loved goods, and are delivered by 35+ staff alongside more than 350 trained volunteers.

Product overview

Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW is a non-profit, non-government organisation providing suicide prevention services across Broken Hill and approximately 70% of South Australia. The organisation operates Lifeline Connect centres offering counselling and community support, delivers training programs including REACH, SafeTALK, Accidental Counsellor, and Indigenous DV-Alert, operates retail shops funding operations, and runs the How's Ya Mate mental health program. The core service portfolio consists of crisis support (telephone/text 13 11 14), face-to-face counselling, financial counselling, gambling support, and community-based training in suicide prevention and domestic violence response.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lifeline Connect: Early intervention model for suicide prevention providing community centres with face-to-face counselling, information databases of local services, and volunteer support.
• How's Ya Mate
• We've Got Your Back
• REACH
• SafeTALK
• Accidental Counsellor
• Indigenous DV-Alert

Products and services

• Lifeline Connect Walk-in, non-clinical face-to-face support service across Broken Hill, Clare, Port Pirie, and Moonta (coming soon), connecting community members to local services and trained support for suicide prevention and wellbeing.
• Counselling Free, confidential short-term counselling delivered by Lifeline's trained counsellors via video, face-to-face, and phone for community members across regional SA and Far West NSW, including youth, general, and bereavement counselling.
• Financial Counselling Free, confidential financial counselling service providing information, advice, and advocacy to people in financial difficulty, delivered face-to-face in Broken Hill and via video and phone across regional SA and Far West NSW.
• GambleAware Counselling Free, confidential gambling support and counselling for anyone affected by gambling harm, available in Broken Hill, Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo and surrounding towns, funded by the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling.
• We've Got Your Back Face-to-face peer mental health and wellbeing support program in Far West NSW and North-East SA, delivered through trained local Champions who provide advocacy and link community members to appropriate services.
• How's Ya Mate? Mental health and wellbeing community program designed to reduce the risk of suicide, with a dedicated website and merchandise store supporting awareness and engagement.
• REACH Training Two-hour suicide awareness training program for community members aged 16 and over, covering warning sign recognition, active listening, direct questioning about suicide, and referral pathways.
• SafeTALK Training Suicide alertness training that prepares community members to recognise signs that a person may be considering suicide and to respond in ways that link individuals to further intervention support.
• Accidental Counsellor Training Four-hour training program providing practical skills to respond appropriately to people in crisis or distress when a professional is not immediately available, with specialised versions for Rural, Youth, and LGBTIQ+ audiences.
• Indigenous DV-Alert Training Free, nationally accredited two-day workshop that trains frontline workers to recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, delivering a Statement of Attainment for CHCDFV001.
• Lifeline Shops Network of 8 pre-loved retail shops across Broken Hill, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Whyalla, Clare, Gawler, Wallaroo, and Moonta selling donated clothing, accessories, bric-a-brac, toys, books, and furniture, with proceeds funding the organisation's free counselling services and training programs.
• Crisis Phone and Text Support 24/7 free crisis support delivered via the national Lifeline phone number (13 11 14) and text number (0477 13 11 14), plus 24/7 YARN Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support on 13 92 76.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern SectioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW and The Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section partnered to pilot the We've Got Your Back campaign in Far West New South Wales in 2019. The partnership continues with carefully selected and trained locals serving as Champions to provide face-to-face peer mental health and wellbeing support.
• Lifeline AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW is part of the Lifeline network and operates as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO 88036) under Lifeline Australia, delivering nationally accredited training programs.
• Broken Heel FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Broken Heel Festival partnered with Lifeline Broken Hill Country to Coast as their chosen charity for community engagement and fundraising in 2022, 2023, and 2024, donating portion of ticket sales to fund LGBTQIA+ mental health first aid training.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lifeline Australia: National peak body that licenses the Lifeline brand and RTO infrastructure to Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW; the most direct parent-network peer sharing brand, training programs, and crisis-line standards.
• Black Dog Institute: Clinical/research mental-health institute running community-training programs (e.g., suicide-prevention, digital tools); competing for the same training and research-policy funding.
• headspace (National Youth Mental Health Foundation): Federally funded youth mental-health network with regional centres; a comparable provider of free, no-referral counselling and a likely collaborator/competitor in Far West NSW and regional SA.
• Beyond Blue: National mental-health charity offering free counselling, information, and training; competing for the same regional donor pool and government attention, and overlapping on depression/anxiety crisis support.

Direct peers

• SANE Australia: National complex-mental-illness charity providing free phone/online counselling, peer support, and community education – overlapping directly with Lifeline's crisis-counselling and training remit.
• Suicide Prevention Australia: National peak body for suicide prevention, directly aligned to Lifeline's lead-agency role in regional suicide prevention and a partner in policy, training, and community-awareness work.
• Kids Helpline (yourtown): Free 24/7 phone/online counselling for children and young people; directly analogous crisis-line offering with overlapping youth-segment reach and similar funding profile.
• Mental Health First Aid Australia: Accredited training provider for Mental Health First Aid courses; closely analogous to Lifeline's REACH, SafeTALK, and Accidental Counsellor community-training suite.
• MensLine Australia: Free 24/7 counselling helpline for men; operates as a sister service under the broader national mental-health suite alongside Lifeline's crisis line.

Regional players

• Anglicare SA: South-Australia-based community-services NGO delivering counselling, financial counselling, and family services across regional SA – overlapping directly with Lifeline's regional footprint and service mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Lifeline-Broken-Hill-Country-to-Coast-592248540797490
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/llsafwnsw
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifelinebhc2c

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW