Surveillance is the service people picture when they think of a private investigator, and it is also the one most often done badly. Done properly it is patient, lawful observation that produces a record a court will accept. Done badly it produces a grainy phone video, an alerted subject and a matter that is now harder than it was before anyone got involved.
We provide surveillance in Sydney and throughout New South Wales, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run surveillance in Sydney
A surveillance job starts with a briefing about what you actually need established, because that determines everything else. We work from public vantage points, plan for the subject’s likely patterns rather than reacting to them, and keep continuity of the record from the first observation to the last. Operatives work in shifts on longer jobs so that the same vehicle and the same face are not sitting in the same street for three days running, which is how subjects notice they are being watched.
What New South Wales law means for this work
Investigation work in New South Wales requires a Class 2E licence under the Security Industry Act 1997, administered by NSW Police through the Security Licensing and Enforcement Directorate. The old Commercial Agents and Private Inquiry Agents Act 2004 was repealed on 1 July 2022, so a licence issued under that Act is no longer the relevant authority. Ask any operator what they hold and when it was issued.
Optical surveillance in New South Wales is governed by section 8 of the Surveillance Devices Act 2007. The offence is not filming as such. It turns on whether the recording involved entry onto premises or a vehicle without consent, or interference with a vehicle or object without consent. Observation from a public vantage point, without trespass or interference, does not engage section 8, and that is the basis on which lawful surveillance is conducted here.
Tracking devices are covered by section 9. Determining the location of a person without consent, or of an object without the consent of the person in lawful possession, is prohibited, subject to an exception at section 9(2)(c) for use for a lawful purpose.
Section 11 makes it a separate offence to publish or communicate a private conversation, or a record or report of an activity, obtained in contravention of the Act. Sections 14A to 14C, which commenced on 3 July 2026, added public interest exceptions covering material given to a law enforcement agency and material already published to the public.
None of that is a formality. The rules differ genuinely between Australian jurisdictions, and evidence gathered outside them is frequently inadmissible and can expose the person who gathered it. Working inside the NSW framework is what makes the result usable.
The federal statutory tort of serious invasion of privacy, which commenced on 10 June 2025 under Schedule 2 of the Privacy Act 1988, applies on top of NSW law and contains no exemption for private investigators.
This is general information about how we operate, not legal advice. For advice on your circumstances, speak with your lawyer.
What you receive
You receive time stamped video and photographic material, a written log of observations, and a report written to be read by a court or an insurer rather than by us. Where nothing of significance was observed, we say so plainly. A surveillance report that finds nothing is a legitimate result and often a useful one.
Where we work in New South Wales
Sydney divides operationally 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 Macarthur, and the south through St George and the Sutherland Shire. Beyond the metropolitan area we work Newcastle and the Hunter, Wollongong and the Illawarra, the Central Coast, the mid north coast, the northern rivers, New England, the central west and the Riverina.
Where the evidence ends up
- Local Court of New South Wales. Summary crime, apprehended violence orders and civil claims to $100,000.
- District Court of New South Wales. Indictable crime other than murder and treason, civil claims to $1.25 million, and unlimited jurisdiction for motor accident claims.
- Supreme Court of New South Wales. Unlimited civil jurisdiction and the most serious criminal matters.
- NCAT. Tenancy, consumer and commercial disputes, guardianship and occupational discipline.
- Personal Injury Commission. Motor accidents and workers compensation, where most insurer commissioned evidence in this state is tested.
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Family law is federal, so a family matter runs under Commonwealth law even though the conduct investigated is governed by NSW rules.
Frequently asked questions
How long does surveillance take?
It depends entirely on the pattern you are trying to establish. Confirming a single suspected meeting might take one evening. Establishing a pattern of behaviour reliable enough for a court usually takes several sessions across different days. We will give you an honest estimate before you commit and tell you if we think the odds are poor.
Will the subject know?
Not if the job is run properly. The most common cause of a subject becoming aware is an under resourced job where the same operative and vehicle are used repeatedly. That is a budgeting decision as much as a tradecraft one, and we would rather tell you the real cost than run a job that burns itself.
Do you cover regional New South Wales as well as Sydney?
Yes. Sydney work can generally be mobilised faster and at lower cost. Regional work carries travel time and expense, and we will tell you honestly whether the likely result justifies it before you commit.
Talk to us about a NSW matter
Every enquiry starts with a confidential conversation about what you actually need, and 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 Surveillance in Melbourne, our New South Wales coverage and our Sydney page.