Magnum Investigations works across New South Wales, from the Sydney metropolitan area through the Hunter, the Illawarra, the Central Coast and the regional centres beyond. Our work covers surveillance, factual investigation and evidence gathering for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How private investigators are licensed in New South Wales
New South Wales changed its licensing regime more recently than most people realise. The Commercial Agents and Private Inquiry Agents Act 2004, which used to govern private inquiry work, was repealed on 1 July 2022. Private investigators are now licensed under the Security Industry Act 1997, which treats private investigation as a security activity.
The relevant class is a Class 2E licence, created by section 12 of the Act, which authorises the holder to act as a private investigator. Section 4 defines the work as investigation of persons, meaning finding or investigating a third person on behalf of a client, and surveillance of persons. Licensing is administered by the NSW Police Force through the Security Licensing and Enforcement Directorate, with the Commissioner of Police as the licensing authority. A business that supplies investigators also needs a master licence in its own right.
Acting as an investigator without a licence in New South Wales carries a maximum penalty of 500 penalty units or two years imprisonment.
One quirk worth knowing if you are engaging a firm for more than one task: debt collection, process serving and repossession are licensed separately by NSW Fair Trading under the Fair Trading Act 1987, not by the police. A firm doing both investigation and process serving answers to two different regulators.
Whoever you engage, ask to see their licence details before work starts. It is an entirely reasonable question, and a properly licensed operator will answer it without hesitation.
What surveillance is lawful in New South Wales
The Surveillance Devices Act 2007 governs, and it is considerably more detailed than the equivalent laws in some other states. It deals separately with four categories of device, and the rules differ meaningfully between them.
- Listening devices, section 7. Recording or monitoring a private conversation you are not a party to is prohibited. Exceptions exist where all principal parties consent, or where one principal party consents and the recording is reasonably necessary to protect that party’s lawful interests.
- Optical surveillance, section 8. The offence is not filming as such. It turns on whether recording involved entry onto premises or a vehicle without consent, or interference with a vehicle or object without consent. Observation and filming from a public place, without trespass or interference, does not engage section 8. This is a genuinely important distinction and it is why professional surveillance in New South Wales is usually conducted from public vantage points.
- Tracking devices, section 9. Determining the location of a person without their consent, or of an object without the consent of the person in lawful possession, is prohibited. Section 9(2)(c) provides an exception for installation and use for a lawful purpose.
- Publication, section 11. Publishing or communicating a private conversation, or a record or report of an activity, obtained in contravention of the Act is a separate offence. Section 11(3) preserves an independent source rule, so knowledge obtained by lawful means may still be communicated even if the same knowledge was also obtained unlawfully.
New South Wales law is also moving. Sections 14A to 14C commenced on 3 July 2026, creating public interest exceptions to the publication offences, including where material is provided to a law enforcement agency in the public interest and where a record has already been published to the public.
Workplace matters carry an additional layer. The Workplace Surveillance Act 2005 requires employers to give notice before surveillance of workers begins, prohibits surveillance in change rooms and bathrooms outright, and requires a covert surveillance authority issued by a Magistrate before any covert workplace surveillance. An employer who commissions covert monitoring without that authority has a problem regardless of how compelling the findings turn out to be.
The new federal privacy tort applies everywhere
On 10 June 2025 a statutory tort of serious invasion of privacy commenced under Schedule 2 of the Privacy Act 1988. It has two limbs, intrusion upon seclusion and misuse of information, and it operates nationally regardless of which state the conduct occurred in. A claimant must show a reasonable expectation of privacy, that the invasion was serious, and that the privacy interest outweighs any countervailing public interest.
There is no carve out for private investigators. Journalists, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are exempted. We are not. That is a good reason to work with an operator who takes the boundaries seriously rather than one who treats them as an obstacle.
The above is general information about how we operate, not legal advice. For advice on your own circumstances, speak with your lawyer.
Investigation services across New South Wales
Every service we run is available throughout the state:
- Surveillance. Covert observation with court ready video, photographic and written evidence.
- Background checks. Identity, history and credential verification for employers, landlords and partners.
- Factual investigations. Impartial statements and interviews for insurers, lawyers and employers.
- Workplace investigations. Misconduct, bullying, theft and false sick leave.
- Child custody investigations. Welfare and conduct evidence for family law proceedings.
- Person tracing. Locating missing family, beneficiaries, debtors and witnesses.
- Fraud and theft investigations. Identifying offenders and quantifying losses.
- Insurance investigations. Claim validation and surveillance for insurers and self insurers.
- Counter surveillance. Bug sweeps and detection of cameras, listening devices and trackers.
- Business investigations. Internal fraud, due diligence, intellectual property theft and compliance.
- Addiction investigations. Discreet confirmation of alcohol or gambling concerns.
- Phone number searches. Tracing unknown, withheld and harassing callers.
Where we work in New South Wales
Sydney is the bulk of the work. The metropolitan area breaks down for operational purposes into the CBD and inner south, the inner west, the eastern suburbs, the lower and upper north shore, the northern beaches, the Hills district, Parramatta and the greater west through Blacktown and Penrith, the south west through Liverpool and the Macarthur region, and the southern suburbs through St George and the Sutherland Shire.
Beyond Sydney we work regularly in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, the Hunter Valley, Wollongong and the Illawarra, and the Central Coast around Gosford and Wyong. Further out we cover the mid north coast through Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, the northern rivers around Lismore, Ballina and Tweed Heads, the New England region through Tamworth and Armidale, the central west through Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo, and the Riverina through Wagga Wagga, Albury and Griffith.
We are straightforward about what that means. Sydney work can usually be mobilised quickly. Regional New South Wales carries travel time and cost, and for a job in the far west we will tell you honestly whether the likely result justifies the expense before you commit.
Where the evidence ends up
- Local Court of New South Wales. Summary criminal matters, apprehended violence orders, and civil claims up to $100,000.
- District Court of New South Wales. Most indictable crime other than murder and treason, and civil claims to $1.25 million, with no monetary limit on motor accident claims.
- Supreme Court of New South Wales. Unlimited civil jurisdiction, the most serious criminal matters, and the Equity Division for trusts, estates and corporate disputes.
- NCAT. Tenancy, consumer and commercial disputes, guardianship, and occupational discipline. NCAT also reviews security licensing decisions.
- Personal Injury Commission. Motor accidents and workers compensation. This is where most insurer commissioned surveillance evidence in New South Wales is actually tested.
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Family law sits in federal jurisdiction, even though the conduct being investigated happened in New South Wales and is governed by New South Wales surveillance law.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to hire a private investigator in NSW?
Yes. The restrictions in New South Wales law apply to methods, not to the act of engaging someone. That is exactly why the licence and the method matter.
Can a private investigator film someone in NSW?
Filming from a public place, without trespassing or interfering with a vehicle or object, does not engage section 8 of the Surveillance Devices Act. Installing a camera that requires entry onto premises without consent is a different matter entirely.
Can a private investigator use a GPS tracker in NSW?
Section 9 prohibits tracking a person or object without the relevant consent, subject to a lawful purpose exception. It is not the free for all people assume, and getting it wrong contaminates the evidence and creates exposure.
Do you cover regional NSW or only Sydney?
Both. Regional work carries travel time and cost and we are upfront about that before you commit.
Will the evidence stand up?
That is the point of working within the Act rather than around it. Material is gathered lawfully, continuity is documented, and reports are written for the forum they are destined for.
Speak to an investigator about a New South Wales matter
Every enquiry starts with a confidential conversation about what you actually need. Sometimes that conversation ends with us saying an investigation is not warranted. Call 1300 792 283 or get in touch for a free consultation and a written quote before any work begins.
See also our Sydney page and our national coverage.