Frequently Asked Questions

Latest update: 30 March 2023: enhanced clarity on mandatory reporting and handling of personal information.

What is QLife?

QLife is an Australia-wide telephone and webchat peer support and referral service for LGBTIQ+ people and their loved ones. QLife is a free and anonymous service run by LGBTIQ+ peers for those wanting to talk about a range of issues including sexuality, identity, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships.

What support can QLife provide?

QLife provides peer support via telephone, 1800 184 527, or webchat, www.qlife.org.au, from 3pm to midnight every day. QLife does not provide crisis mental health services. Please contact mental health services in your local area for crisis mental health support or phone 000 in an emergency.

When is QLife available?

QLife is available from 3pm to midnight each day, including over holidays. QLife is accessible from each Australian State and Territory between 3pm and midnight local time.

Who can access QLife?

Anyone who is LGBTIQ+ or diverse in their sexuality or gender is welcome to contact QLife. As are those who support LGBTIQ+ people including professionals, family members and friends.

Why might a QLife contact be terminated?

QLife understands our communities may have experienced a range of personal and social trauma. However, QLife Peer Supporters and staff have the right to work in a safe workplace free from homophobia, transphobia and threats of harm. Phone calls or webchats to QLife that contain abusive, aggressive, or threatening language will be terminated.

Does QLife provide support or resources to professionals working with LGBTIQ+ people?

Yes! Professionals seeking support or referrals can contact QLife via phone or webchat. We have also created a range of QGuides for health professional working with LGBTIQ+ people.

Is there a cost to accessing QLife?

QLife is a free service.

Is QLife a counselling service?

QLife is a peer support service, our peer supporters cannot provide counselling however they can provide referrals to LGBTIQ+ inclusive counselling service if needed.

Is QLife a crisis support or suicide intervention service?

While QLife provides support to LGBTIQ+ people during difficult times, QLife is not a crisis support service. While our peer supporters have Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, QLife is not best placed to support you in a mental health or suicide crisis. Please visit this page for more information about who to contact in a crisis. If you tell us about a serious risk of imminent harm we are required to inform emergency services of any information we do have about the situation such as postcode etc. Please see the FAQ on personal information for more details on this issue.

How does Qlife respond to information shared about a child at-risk?

Abuse and causing harm is never okay and Qlife has a duty of care to our callers and web-chatters. This includes protecting and advocating for the rights of children and young people to live a life free of violence of any kind. During the course of a call or webchat with Qlife, if you tell us about a risk of harm to someone who is under 18, the Peer Supporter will need to notify their manager. Together they will report any information they do have to the child protection agency in your state. We are legally obligated to do this, but it is up to you how much detail you want to give us about the issue.

What is peer support?

The most important distinction between peer support and other forms of social support is that the source of support comes from a peer, someone who has a fundamental shared experience with the support seeker.

Why can’t peer supporters share their name or location with contacts?

QLife is an anonymous service delivered by LGBTIQ+ peers across the country. To ensure the privacy of QLife contacts and peer supporters, QLife peer supporters will not provide their name or location.

Why are QLife contacts time limited?

There is increasing demand on the QLife service. In order to support as many community members as possible there are time limitations on calls and webchats.

What personal information is handled by QLife?

QLife aims to be an anonymous service. QLife does not automatically track or collect your IP address, phone number or other identifying details. We do request your postcode and other de-identified information like gender or background to help us better support you and that information is stored on our secure servers.

Aggregated, deidentified data is shared internally and externally for operational, planning, reporting and funding purposes.

During a call or webchat if you tell us about a risk to a child or an imminent risk of serious harm to someone of any age (such as a plan for a suicide attempt) we are obligated to notify the relevant authority. If you or someone else is at serious risk of harm you can choose & consent to sharing personal or contact information with us so we can get help to you. Anytime you consent to share personal information with us we store and handle the information according to our privacy policy and the Australian Privacy Principles.

The scripts of QLife webchats are kept securely for supervision and reporting purposes. If you provide personal information during a webchat, this information will be kept as a part of the webchat script. This information is stored securely and not used for any purpose other than training and supervision.

Can QLife track my location, phone number or web location?

No, QLife is an anonymous service as such does not have access to information about incoming calls or webchat and cannot track these details or determine a persons location.

Why do you ask about sex, gender and sexuality?

You may notice that QLife provides the option for webchat users to share their sex, gender and/or sexuality if they wish to do so. This is for reporting purposes only.

If you have any questions about how we ask these questions, please see LGBTIQ+ Health Australia’s Fact Sheet: The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables 2020. This has been developed to standardise the collection and dissemination of data relating to sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation.

Can I contact QLife using the National Relay Service?

If you are deaf or have difficulty hearing or speaking you can talk to a Qlife Peer Supporter through the National Relay Service (NRS) on the below details:

• TTY (teletypewriter) users phone 133 677 then ask for Qlife – 1800 184 527
• Speak and Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for Qlife – 1800 184 527
• Internet relay users connect to the NRS by clicking NRS Chat Call then ask for Qlife – 1800 184 527

The NRS is a phone/internet solution for people who are deaf or have difficulty hearing or speaking. For more information, see NRS Information. For a video explaining their services, click for an NRS video.

Does QLife have interpreting options available?

QLife is currently exploring interpreting options. If this is something you require and would like to speak with us about your needs, please contact ask@qlife.org.au

How can I volunteer with QLife or become a volunteer Peer Supporter?

QLife is a national service with partner sites in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane. Each partner site does their own volunteer recruitment and training.

If you would like to become a volunteer with QLife, please contact your closest partner site for further information.

• Western Australia – Living Proud – email admin@livingproud.org.au
• Queensland – Diverse Voices – email info@diversevoices.org.au
• Victoria – Switchboard – Register here.
• New South Wales – Twenty10 – Register here.

How can I donate to QLife?

If you would like to make a donation to QLife, this can be done on a one-off or a monthly basis by completing a QLife donation form on the LGBTIQ+ Health Australia website.

Can I order QLife resources?

You can view and download QLife’s resources here. If you live in WA, QLD, VIC or NSW you can request hardcopy resources through your local partner site. All other resources request should be sent to ask@qlife.org.au