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 Hobart and throughout Tasmania, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run surveillance in Hobart
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 Tasmania law means for this work
Tasmania licenses investigators under the Security and Investigations Agents Act 2002, administered by Consumer, Building and Occupational Services. The structure is an agent licence carrying endorsements, and investigation work sits under the inquiry agent endorsement. Holding a licence and holding the right endorsement are two different things, so it is worth asking specifically.
Tasmania has no surveillance devices act. Optical surveillance is not covered by a dedicated statute. What constrains it is section 13A of the Police Offences Act 1935, which 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, together with the stalking offence in section 192 of the Criminal Code, which expressly covers repeated watching and surveillance.
Tracking devices are not regulated by Tasmanian statute. The limits that apply are the stalking provisions, trespass, and the federal privacy tort. The absence of a statute puts more weight on the operator’s judgement, not less.
Sections 9 and 10 of the Listening Devices Act restrict publication. Section 9 covers material obtained unlawfully, and section 10 restricts even a party who recorded lawfully under the lawful interests limb from publishing the record.
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 TAS 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 TAS 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 Tasmania
Greater Hobart sits across the Derwent, and with only two river crossings that is the dominant constraint on any moving surveillance. The western shore runs through the city, Battery Point, Sandy Bay, South and West Hobart, New Town, Moonah, Glenorchy and Claremont. The eastern shore covers Bellerive, Howrah, Rosny, Lindisfarne, Warrane, Mornington, Lauderdale and Cambridge. Kingston and Blackmans Bay sit south, Brighton and Bridgewater north, and Sorell to the east. Beyond Hobart we work Launceston and the north, Devonport, Burnie and the north west coast, and centres including George Town, New Norfolk, Huonville, St Helens and Queenstown.
Where the evidence ends up
- Magistrates Court of Tasmania. Six divisions including Criminal and General, Civil, the Coroners Court and the Administrative Appeals Division. Civil claims to $15,000 as minor claims, $15,001 to $50,000 as civil claims, and above that only by consent.
- Supreme Court of Tasmania. Serious crime and major civil work, with registries at Hobart, Launceston and Burnie.
- TASCAT. Amalgamated nine former tribunals in 2021, including the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Tribunal, which is where insurer commissioned evidence is tested here.
- 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 TAS 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 Tasmania as well as Hobart?
Yes. Hobart 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 TAS 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 Tasmania coverage.