It made the move as the dispute over funding levels for Lifeline Central West (LCW) rolled on.

LA chief executive officer Pete Shmigel said: “I’m having daily phone calls from volunteers over this; [they say] that people will lose confidence to call Lifeline.

“[People are thinking] ‘if Lifeline is having these problems why would I trust Lifeline with my life’.

“It has really serious implications for people considering calling Lifeline.”

The dispute between LCW, based in Bathurst, and LA became public after it was revealed closure of the LCW’s Orange and Dubbo call centres had narrowly been averted at a recent LCW board meeting.

Each year the NSW Government allocates funds to LA, which then distributes around $100,000 to each of its member centres across the country.

But under the charity’s constitution, which LCW agreed to in 2012, the Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst centres are considered one single, Bathurst-based centre with off-shoots in the other cities.

As such LCW receives $100,000 each year, rather than $300,000.

LCW executive director Alex Ferguson said he had been in discussions with LA since July, but said LA was not interested in discussing separating the centres until the row hit the media.

He said he understood reclassification of the Orange and Dubbo locations as “centres” would take funds away from other centres across the country, but it was justified, because LCW covers one-third of NSW.

Mr Shmigel said LA had invited LCW to be part of a discussion process to sort out the funding matter.

A Bathurst event, the Soar, Ride and Shine air, car and motorbike show, which raised $42,000 for LCW in May this year will not return until the row is resolved.

Mr Ferguson announced the event’s axing last month, saying the $75,000 staging cost and the ongoing lack of funds, meant it would not be held for the foreseeable future. “We’re very upset we can’t do it, but quite frankly we need some resolution,” he said.