Insurance investigation is where the most surveillance evidence in Australia is actually tested, and where the standard is highest, because the material is examined by people who look at surveillance footage for a living and know exactly what a stitched together edit looks like.
We provide insurance investigations in Perth and throughout Western Australia, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run insurance investigations in Perth
We work for insurers, brokers and self insured employers on claim validation, factual investigation and surveillance. The discipline is to record what happens rather than what supports the brief. A claimant observed doing something inconsistent with their stated restriction is a finding. A claimant observed doing nothing unusual for three days is also a finding, and reporting it plainly is what makes the reports that do find something credible.
What Western Australia law means for this work
Western Australia requires two licences under the Security and Related Activities (Control) Act 1996, administered by WA Police Licensing Services. The business needs an inquiry agent’s licence under section 29 and the individual operative needs an investigator’s licence under section 30. Section 61 requires a licensed operator to carry an identity card and produce it on request to the person receiving the service, so you are entitled to ask on the spot.
Optical surveillance is governed by section 6 of the Surveillance Devices Act 1998, and it bites on recording or observing a private activity you are not a party to. Section 3 defines a private activity as one carried on in circumstances reasonably indicating a party wants it observed only by themselves. Activity in a public place that is not a private activity falls outside the prohibition, which is the practical foundation for surveillance work here.
Section 7 is the strictest tracking provision in the country. A tracking device may not be attached, installed, used or maintained without the express or implied consent of the person, or of the person in possession or control of the object. There is no lawful interests exception and no investigator exception. Covert vehicle tracking in Western Australia is not lawful, and anyone offering it is offering you contaminated evidence.
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 WA 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 WA 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 continuous, time stamped footage rather than selected highlights, an activity log, and a report that states restrictions observed and not observed. Material is prepared for the forum it is destined for, which for compensation matters is usually a tribunal rather than a court.
Where we work in Western Australia
The Perth metropolitan region covers thirty local government areas. Operationally that is the central corridor through Perth, Vincent, Subiaco and South Perth, the western suburbs through Nedlands, Claremont and Cottesloe, the coastal north through Stirling, Joondalup and Wanneroo, the eastern hills through Bayswater, Swan, Kalamunda and Mundaring, the south east through Canning, Gosnells and Armadale, and the south west through Melville, Fremantle, Cockburn, Kwinana and Rockingham, with Mandurah in the Peel region alongside. Beyond Perth we work the South West, Great Southern, Wheatbelt, Mid West, Goldfields and Esperance, Pilbara, Kimberley and Gascoyne regions.
Where the evidence ends up
- Magistrates Court of Western Australia. Summary crime and civil claims to $75,000, with minor cases to $10,000.
- District Court of Western Australia. Indictable crime, civil claims to $750,000, and unlimited jurisdiction for personal injury damages.
- Supreme Court of Western Australia. The General Division and the Court of Appeal.
- State Administrative Tribunal. Administrative review, including security and inquiry agent licensing decisions.
- WorkCover WA. Conciliation and Arbitration Services under the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023, which commenced on 1 July 2024.
- 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 WA rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is surveillance of a claimant lawful?
Within the limits of the relevant state or territory legislation, yes, and those limits differ considerably across Australia. The rules on optical surveillance and tracking in particular are not uniform, which is why the jurisdiction matters more here than clients expect.
What if the claim turns out to be genuine?
Then we report that. An investigator who only ever finds fraud is not finding fraud, they are manufacturing it, and that becomes obvious the first time one of their reports is properly tested.
Do you cover regional Western Australia as well as Perth?
Yes. Perth 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 WA 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 Insurance Investigations in Melbourne, our Western Australia coverage and our Perth page.