About QLife
QLife is a free and anonymous peer-support and referral service run by LGBTIQA+SB people for LGBTIQA+SB people. The QLife team includes over 100 highly experienced staff and volunteer peer supporters Australia-wide.
We’re here to chat if you're looking to connect with someone and explore what's going on in your life. We also welcome people who support LGBTIQA+SB people and want to talk about someone they care about.
Our service
QLife is a peer-support and referral service run by LGBTIQA+SB people for LGBTIQA+SB people, accredited under the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards.
QLife is free, anonymous, and operates Australia wide.
QLife provides support by phone and webchat. You can also find resources and information on our website. The service is free. If you use QLife via webchat, this will use a minimal amount of data on your device.
You can learn more about how our work makes a difference by checking out our Impact Report qlife.org.au/impact
Hours
QLife phone and webchat are available from 3pm-12am Australian Eastern time. We are open every day including holidays.
We take our final calls for the night by 11:40pm to make sure we can provide a quality service within our opening hours.
We tend to be busiest around 3pm and 5pm Australian Eastern time. After 10pm Eastern time there are less peer supporters available nationally.
How to contact us
Webchat
Go to www.qlife.org.au
and click the ‘webchat’ icon.
Average webchat wait times are approximately 20 minutes. The wait might be longer or shorter depending on how many people are contacting QLife and how many peer supporters are available.
Phone
Call 1800 184 527
If we can’t answer straight away, you will go into a hold queue. After 45 minutes on hold, your call will end, and we will invite you to try again another time.
Learn about other services if you couldn’t get through to QLife.
If you are Deaf or find it hard to hear or speak
You can use the National Relay Service (NRS) to talk to a QLife peer supporter. Visit accesshub.gov.au.
If you need an interpreter
We are exploring interpreting options that are safe and inclusive for our communities. Please email ask@qlife.org.au
if you:
- want to talk with us about your interpreting needs
- have suggestions about interpreting services.
Who can use QLife
Anyone who is LGBTIQA+SB or diverse in their sexuality or gender is welcome to contact QLife.
We also welcome people who support LGBTIQA+SB people, including professionals, family members and friends.
Support we offer
QLife is for LGBTIQA+SB people and their loved ones wanting to talk about a range of issues including sexuality, gender, bodies, feelings, relationships, mental health and wellbeing, or are wanting to connect with a peer.
As a peer support service, we offer connection and a non-judgmental space to share about what is happening for you. (insert another adjective). We can listen to you, and share about similar experiences or strategies we use to support ourselves. We don’t give specific advice or treatment for medical conditions.
QLife is a peer support service
QLife is a peer support service. This means you will be able to talk to someone from LGBTIQA+SB communities (a peer) and explore what is happening in your life. Our peer support staff and volunteers do not provide clinical support or emergency service responses. If you require immediate support or safety intervention please contact your local mental health triage service or 000.
Please note, if an emergency occurs while you are speaking to us via phone or webchat, we are unable to connect you to emergency services unless you’ve told us your name, exact location, or phone number.
Using QLife
Who you’ll talk to
QLife is a peer-support service, so you will speak with people from LGBTIQA+SB communities (a peer). Our peer supporters can explore what is happening in your life and tell you about other LGBTIQA+SB inclusive services or resources in your area. They can’t provide clinical support such as counselling, or . contact any other services on your behalf.
QLife peer supporters won’t share their name or location.
How your session works
Your session is designed to be a brief intervention to help you feel heard, safe and respected, and to decrease your immediate distress. It is meant to supplement your other support systems, not replace them.
When you access QLife by phone or webchat, you have one 25-minute session with a peer supporter. We have to limit the session times so we can support as many community members as possible.
You can contact QLife more than once, and we welcome you to stay connected with QLife. Some service users may choose to contact QLife regularly. We don’t keep long-term case files as an anonymous service which means we can’t provide continuity of care, tailored support, or measure long-term outcomes based on regular service use., Each call or webchat will be treated as a new one.
You can be anonymous
QLife doesn’t collect any identifying information about you, like your name, phone number, email address, or IP address.
You don’t have to share your personal information with us, and you don’t have to use your real name.
We will ask for some general information that won’t identify you, but will help us support you (for example your postcode, gender, and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background). We keep that information on our secure servers.
If you do share personal information with us, we will handle it line with our Privacy Policy and the Australian Privacy Principles.
Calls may occasionally be monitored for service learning and development opportunities, but in line with our commitment to anonymity calls are not recorded.
You can have a support person
While most people choose to use us for one-on-one support, it’s also ok to have a trusted person with you while you talk to our peer supporters. This could be a carer, family member or other person.
Please tell the peer supporter that you have a support person with you.
We can link you to other services
QLife peer supporters can use a resource database to find other services that might support you. They will share the details of these services, and you then need to contact them separately. We can’t write to, or contact, other services on your behalf.
You can also see the database here: https://qlife.org.au/resources/directory
The peer supporter will do their best to tell you about any fees there might be for another service, but we can’t guarantee the information is accurate as we rely on these services to keep their details up-to-date.
Here are some other services if you couldn’t get through to QLife:
Mental Health Triage Lines:
We won’t tolerate abuse
QLife volunteers and staff have the right to a safe workplace free from discrimination and abuse, including homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, racism, ableism and threats of harm.
We will terminate a phone call or webchat if there is abusive, aggressive, or threatening language or behaviour. Read more about your rights and responsibilities as a QLife service user
We understand that many folks contact QLife when feeling distressed, and we are here to support you through your immediate distress. Our team are trained to recognise the difference between anger at a situation, and anger being directed at them personally.
QLife is based on the shared experiences of LGBTIQA+SB communities
Peer support is founded on shared experience.
For example, mental health peer work is based around the shared lived experience of mental distress. It is widely recognised as a way for consumers and carers to get support from people who have walked similar paths in life.
QLife is unique in that our peer support is with people from LGBTIQA+SB communities.
QLife was developed by LGBTIQA+SB communities for LGBTIQA+SB communities. It’s delivered by staff and volunteers with lived experience as LGBTIQA+SB people.
Our peer support is strengths-based and does not base itself on ‘fixing’ problems. QLife aims for trust and openness – you can assume the person on the other end is listening in a non-judgemental way.
We engage user feedback from workshops and surveys to improve our service. QLife is committed to continuous improvement and ensuring our service is safe and of high quality. We also have a Consumer Advisory Group and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group, who provide advice and guidance on how we operate and how we plan future improvements.
How QLife is run
The Australian Government funds QLife. LGBTIQ+ Health Australia holds the contract to run the service. They deliver it with four state partners:
- Western Australia – Living Proud
- Queensland – Diverse Voices
- New South Wales – Twenty10
LGBTIQ+ Health Australia is the national peak health organisation in Australia for providers of health-related programs, services and research focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, intersex, queer and other sexuality, gender diverse and bodily diverse people.
Donating to QLife
QLife doesn’t operate for a profit. You can donate to support the running of the QLife service.
Donate at the LGBTIQ+ Health Australia website.
How we protect your privacy
To read more about:
- what information QLife collects
- who owns that data
- who information is shared with and why
- where information is stored
- reviewing or deleting data that has been collected about you
- the security measures in place to protect your personal information,
visit our Privacy Policy
Concerns about QLife
If you have concerns about QLife, please let us know so we can try and do better. You can do this by:
- Emailing the National team at ask@qlife.org.au
- Writing a complaint and posting it to:
Suite 2101,
Level 21, 233 Castlereagh Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Gadigal Country
- Making an anonymous complaint using our online complaint form.
- Ringing 02 7209 6301 and asking to speak to someone from the QLife team
Other places to make complaints
Updated 28/04/2025
