Custody matters are the hardest work we do, and the ones where the temptation to overreach is strongest. A parent who is genuinely worried about a child will consider things they would never otherwise consider. Part of our job is to be the person in the room who says which of those things would destroy their case.
We provide child custody investigations in Hobart and throughout Tasmania, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run child custody investigations in Hobart
We establish what is actually observable and relevant to a child’s welfare, which is a narrower category than most parents expect. Supervision arrangements, who is present during care time, the condition of a home, whether stated arrangements match actual ones. We work lawfully and from public vantage points, and we do not gather material about a former partner that has nothing to do with the child, because a court will notice and it will count against the parent who commissioned it.
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.
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 a factual record suitable for a family lawyer to work with. Family law is federal, so the proceeding runs under the Family Law Act 1975 in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, but the conduct being investigated is governed by the surveillance law of the state or territory it happens in. Both have to be right.
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
Will evidence like this help my case?
Sometimes substantially, sometimes not at all. Courts in family matters are concerned with the child, not with proving a former partner is a bad person. Evidence that goes to a child’s welfare and safety carries weight. Evidence gathered to settle a score tends to reflect badly on the parent who gathered it.
Can I record my child’s other parent?
This is jurisdiction specific and it is the question we are asked most often. The rules on recording a conversation you are party to differ across Australia, and the rules on then using that recording differ again. Ask before you record, not after.
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 Child Custody Investigations in Melbourne, our Tasmania coverage.