Corporate matters usually arrive as a question that cannot be asked internally. Whether a supplier relationship is what it appears to be. Whether a departing executive took more than their belongings. Whether a partner is trading against the business. The common thread is that asking the question inside the organisation would itself cause damage.
We provide business investigations in Hobart and throughout Tasmania, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run business investigations in Hobart
We scope tightly, because corporate investigations that sprawl become expensive without becoming conclusive. Due diligence on counterparties, examination of internal fraud and conflicts of interest, intellectual property and confidential information matters, and compliance investigations. Where employees are involved the workplace rules of the relevant jurisdiction apply in full, and we settle that position before beginning rather than discovering it afterwards.
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 workplace surveillance statute. Workplace matters run on the Listening Devices Act, the Police Offences Act privacy provision, employment law and the federal privacy tort.
The Listening Devices Act 1991 is the one surveillance statute Tasmania does have. Section 5 prohibits recording a private conversation you are not a party to, and unlike the Northern Territory it also restricts a party recording their own conversation unless all principal parties consent or the lawful interests limb applies.
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 findings written for a board or a general counsel, with the evidence for each conclusion identified and the limits of the enquiry stated. Where a matter needs to move to litigation or to a regulator, the material is already in a form that supports it.
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
Can you investigate without staff knowing?
Frequently yes for counterparty and external matters. Where the subject is an employee, the position depends on the jurisdiction and can require a court authority before covert steps are taken. We establish that at the outset.
How do we keep this contained?
Narrow scope, a single point of contact, and reporting arrangements agreed in advance. Most leaks in corporate investigations come from the client side rather than the investigator, so containment is designed at the start.
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 Business Investigations in Melbourne, our Tasmania coverage.