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 Hobart and throughout Tasmania, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run background checks in Hobart
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 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.
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 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 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
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 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 Background Checks in Melbourne, our Tasmania coverage.