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 Hobart and throughout Tasmania, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run insurance investigations in Hobart
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 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.
Tracking devices are not regulated by Tasmanian statute. The limits that apply are the stalking provisions, trespass, and the federal privacy tort. The absence of a statute puts more weight on the operator’s judgement, not less.
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 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 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 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 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 Insurance Investigations in Melbourne, our Tasmania coverage.