Magnum Investigations works across Tasmania, covering Greater Hobart, Launceston and the north, and the north west coast through Devonport and Burnie. Our work covers surveillance, factual investigation and evidence gathering for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How private investigators are licensed in Tasmania
Tasmania licenses investigators under the Security and Investigations Agents Act 2002, administered by Consumer, Building and Occupational Services within the Department of Justice, with licences issued by the Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading.
The structure is an agent licence carrying endorsements. Investigation work sits under the inquiry agent endorsement, which section 3 defines as obtaining or providing information about a person’s character, actions, business or occupation, obtaining evidence for legal proceedings, or searching for missing persons. There is a separate commercial agent endorsement covering debt and process work, and a separate employee licence class for people working under an agent.
Operating without the right licence is not a technicality. Section 4 sets maximum penalties of 200 penalty units for a natural person carrying on agent activities unlicensed, and 1,000 penalty units for a body corporate. The Tasmanian penalty unit rose to $213 on 1 July 2026.
Ask any investigator whether their agent licence actually carries the inquiry agent endorsement. Holding a licence and holding the right endorsement are two different things.
What surveillance is lawful in Tasmania
Tasmania regulates listening devices only. There is no Tasmanian statute prohibiting private optical surveillance, tracking devices or data surveillance. That surprises people, and it is worth understanding properly rather than taking as a green light.
- Listening Devices Act 1991, section 5. Using a listening device to record or listen to a private conversation you are not a party to is prohibited, and so is a party recording their own conversation, unless all principal parties consent or the recording is reasonably necessary to protect that party’s lawful interests and is not made for publication.
- Section 9. Communicating or publishing a private conversation obtained unlawfully is a separate offence.
- Section 10. Even a party who recorded lawfully under the lawful interests limb cannot then publish the record, except with consent, in legal proceedings, to protect lawful interests, or under warrant.
- Section 12. Penalties of 40 penalty units or two years imprisonment, and up to 500 penalty units for a body corporate.
The Police Powers (Surveillance Devices) Act 2006 is sometimes cited as though it restricts private conduct. It does not. It is a warrant and authorisation framework for law enforcement and creates no general offence applying to private persons.
What actually constrains visual surveillance in Tasmania comes from general criminal law. Section 13A of the Police Offences Act 1935 makes it an offence to observe or visually record a person without consent in a private place or engaged in a private act where a reasonable person would expect privacy, with a maximum of 50 penalty units or twelve months imprisonment. Section 192 of the Criminal Code covers stalking, and repeated following, watching, loitering near or surveillance of a person can constitute that offence.
So the absence of a surveillance devices statute does not mean surveillance in Tasmania is unregulated. It means the boundaries sit in criminal law and in the federal privacy tort rather than in a purpose built Act, and it means the judgement of the operator carries more weight, not less.
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 Tasmania
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 Tasmania
Tasmania is compact but it is genuinely three nodal, and that shapes how work is planned here. Greater Hobart, Launceston and the Burnie and Devonport coast are separate operating areas rather than one metropolitan spread.
Greater Hobart sits across the Derwent, and with only two crossings the river is the dominant operational constraint on any moving surveillance. The western shore covers Hobart city, Battery Point, Sandy Bay, South and West Hobart, New Town and Lenah Valley, then north through Moonah, Glenorchy, Claremont and Berriedale. The eastern shore covers Bellerive, Howrah, Rosny, Lindisfarne, Warrane, Mornington and out to Lauderdale, Seven Mile Beach and Cambridge. South is Kingston, Blackmans Bay and Margate through the Kingborough area, and north is Brighton, Bridgewater and Old Beach, with Sorell and Midway Point to the east.
Launceston is around 200 kilometres and two and a half hours north of Hobart, covering the city, Newstead, Kings Meadows, Prospect, Norwood, Riverside, Trevallyn, Mowbray, Invermay and out through Legana, Longford and Evandale.
The north west coast runs through Devonport, East Devonport, Latrobe, Port Sorell and Ulverstone, and on to Burnie, Somerset, Wynyard and Penguin.
Beyond those three centres we work through George Town, Scottsdale, New Norfolk and the Derwent Valley, Huonville, the east coast around St Helens, and the west coast around Queenstown.
Being straight about it: Hobart to Burnie is around 320 kilometres and four hours. Covering the whole state from a single base is not realistic for time sensitive surveillance, and we plan Tasmanian work around that rather than pretending otherwise.
Where the evidence ends up
- Magistrates Court of Tasmania. Six divisions including Criminal and General, Civil, the Coroners Court, the Childrens and Youth Courts and the Administrative Appeals Division. Civil claims run to $15,000 as minor civil claims, $15,001 to $50,000 as civil claims, and above $50,000 only by consent of all parties.
- Supreme Court of Tasmania. Serious indictable crime, major civil work and appeals, with registries at Hobart, Launceston and Burnie.
- TASCAT. The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which amalgamated nine former tribunals in 2021, including the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Tribunal, the Guardianship and Administration Board, the Anti Discrimination Tribunal and the Motor Accident Compensation Tribunal. The workers compensation stream is where most insurer commissioned surveillance in Tasmania is tested.
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Family law is federal, with Tasmanian locations at Hobart, Launceston and Burnie.
Frequently asked questions
Do private investigators need a licence in Tasmania?
Yes. An agent licence under the Security and Investigations Agents Act 2002, and it must carry the inquiry agent endorsement for investigation work.
Is there a Surveillance Devices Act in Tasmania?
No. Tasmania regulates listening devices under the Listening Devices Act 1991. Optical surveillance, tracking devices and data surveillance are not covered by a dedicated statute.
Does that mean filming someone is always allowed here?
No. Section 13A of the Police Offences Act 1935 covers observing or recording a person in a private place or engaged in a private act, and the stalking offence in section 192 of the Criminal Code covers repeated watching and surveillance. The federal privacy tort applies as well.
Can I record my own conversation in Tasmania?
Not freely. Unlike the Northern Territory, Tasmania restricts a party recording their own private conversation unless all principal parties consent or the lawful interests limb applies.
Can you cover the whole state?
Yes, though Tasmania is three separate operating areas rather than one. We plan around that and tell you what it means for timing and cost.
Speak to an investigator about a Tasmanian matter
Every enquiry starts with a confidential conversation about what you actually need. Call 1300 792 283 or get in touch for a free consultation and a written quote before any work begins.
See also our national coverage.