100 calls a day: Indigenous crisis line faces unprecedented demand

Calls to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis line 13YARN have surged past 100 a day, with planners preparing for up to 170 calls daily around New Year. The service says this spring has been its busiest since launch.

Demand keeps climbing. In 2024, Crisis Supporters answered an average 65 calls per day; in 2025 that has jumped to 91 per day. “Since September, 13YARN crisis supporters have been helping mob in crisis over 100 times each day”, said Aunty Marj Anderson, Lifeline’s Head of Indigenous Affairs.

The need shows up in national data. Across 2019–2023, one in five deaths among First Nations people aged 0–24 and 25–44 were by suicide, with rates in these cohorts around three times those of non‑Indigenous peers. 

For children, the picture is starker. Over 2019–2023, 81 First Nations children (aged 5–17) died by suicide; it was the leading cause of death in this age group. Most were 15–17 and over half were girls.

13YARN says text and webchat are in development to reach people who can’t safely call—because of privacy, family violence, or disability—and to meet young people where they are.

The line is free, confidential and anonymous, staffed 24/7 by Lifeline‑trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporters. The aim is a culturally safe yarn, when it’s needed most.Help now: 13YARN 13 92 76, Lifeline 13 11 14, Kids Helpline 1800 551 800 (24/7).