A background check is a verification exercise. The question is never simply what someone says about themselves, it is what can be independently confirmed and what the gaps mean. Employers, landlords, business partners and people entering relationships all reach the same point eventually, where trust needs something behind it.
We provide background checks in Brisbane and throughout Queensland, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run background checks in Brisbane
We verify identity first, because almost everything else depends on it. From there the scope is driven by the decision you are actually making. An employer hiring for a role with financial authority needs different assurance from a landlord assessing a tenancy application or a person checking someone they met online. We work from lawful sources, we document where each piece of information came from, and we distinguish clearly between what is confirmed, what is unconfirmed and what could not be checked.
What Queensland law means for this work
Queensland licenses investigators under the Security Providers Act 1993, administered by the Office of Fair Trading. Private investigator is one of the security provider classes in section 4, and section 9 makes it an offence to act as or even advertise as a security provider without a licence. A separate security firm licence is required to run an investigation business.
Section 44 of the Invasion of Privacy Act prohibits communicating or publishing a private conversation obtained unlawfully, and section 45 restricts what even a lawful party to the conversation may publish.
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 QLD 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 QLD 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 a written report that separates verified fact from inference. Where something could not be established we say that rather than filling the gap with a guess, because an overstated background report is worse than no report at all when a hiring or tenancy decision is challenged later.
Where we work in Queensland
Brisbane divides into the inner city around Fortitude Valley, New Farm, South Brisbane and West End, the north through Chermside and Aspley, the south through Mount Gravatt and Sunnybank, the east through Bulimba, Morningside and Wynnum, and the west through Toowong, Indooroopilly and St Lucia, with Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay and Redlands around it. Beyond the South East we cover the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, Wide Bay, Central Queensland, Mackay and the Whitsundays, Townsville, and Cairns and the far north.
Where the evidence ends up
- Magistrates Courts of Queensland. Summary crime, committals, domestic violence protection orders and smaller civil claims.
- District Court of Queensland. Mid tier indictable crime and civil claims, with the civil limit currently $750,000.
- Supreme Court of Queensland. Unlimited civil jurisdiction and the most serious crime, with the Court of Appeal above it.
- QCAT. Minor civil and debt disputes to $25,000, tenancy, building disputes, guardianship and review of Office of Fair Trading decisions.
- 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 QLD rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is a background check legal without the person knowing?
It depends what is being checked and why. Verification from lawful and publicly available sources is one thing. Employment screening generally requires consent, and there are express restrictions around credit and criminal history information. We scope this at the outset so the result is usable.
Can you check a criminal record?
Access to formal criminal history is controlled and generally requires the person’s consent through the proper channel. Anyone offering to obtain a criminal record without consent is describing something you should not want attached to your decision.
Do you cover regional Queensland as well as Brisbane?
Yes. Brisbane 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 QLD 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 Background Checks in Melbourne, our Queensland coverage and our Brisbane page.