Person tracing covers a wide range of situations that have nothing in common except that someone cannot be found. Beneficiaries of an estate, a debtor who has moved, a witness whose evidence a case depends on, a family member who lost contact decades ago. The method is much the same. The care required differs enormously.
We provide person tracing in Adelaide and throughout South Australia, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run person tracing in Adelaide
Tracing is a database and field enquiry exercise built on lawful sources, cross referenced until a location can be stated with confidence rather than guessed at. We confirm identity before reporting a location, because reporting the wrong person’s address is a serious matter and it happens more often than the industry admits when a name is common.
What South Australia law means for this work
South Australia licenses investigators under the Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995, administered by Consumer and Business Services rather than by police. Section 6 creates an investigation agent’s licence, and it comes in two categories: restricted to inquiry work, or restricted to collection work. Only the inquiry work category covers investigation. Licences are renewed every twelve months, and licensing appeals go to the Administrative and Disciplinary Division of the District Court rather than to the state tribunal.
Section 9 is the sting in the tail. Material gathered under the licensed investigator exceptions may only be released to prescribed persons and in prescribed circumstances. It cannot simply be handed to a client to use as they please, and that needs discussing at the start of a matter rather than after it.
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 SA 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 SA 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 confirmed current location where one can be established, with the basis of confirmation set out, or an honest account of why the trace has not succeeded and what would be required to take it further. We do not report a probable address as a certain one.
Where we work in South Australia
Metropolitan Adelaide breaks into the CBD and inner ring through Adelaide, North Adelaide, Norwood, Unley and Prospect, the north through Salisbury, Playford, Elizabeth and Gawler, the north east through Tea Tree Gully, Campbelltown and Modbury, the eastern foothills through Burnside, Mitcham and Stirling, the west through Charles Sturt, West Torrens, Port Adelaide and Semaphore, and the south through Marion, Holdfast Bay, Onkaparinga, Noarlunga and Aldinga. Beyond the city we cover the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa, the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island, the Limestone Coast, the Murray and Mallee, Yorke and Mid North, Eyre and Western, and the Far North.
Where the evidence ends up
- Magistrates Court of South Australia. Summary crime and smaller civil claims, with country registries at Berri, Mount Gambier, Murray Bridge, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie and Whyalla.
- District Court of South Australia. Mid tier criminal and civil work, including the Administrative and Disciplinary Division.
- Supreme Court of South Australia. The highest state court, including the Court of Appeal.
- SACAT. Tenancy, guardianship, mental health and review of government decisions.
- South Australian Employment Tribunal. Workers compensation under the Return to Work Act 2014, the main forum for insurer commissioned evidence 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 SA rules.
Frequently asked questions
Will you tell the person I am looking for them?
Not without instruction. In estate and debtor matters we usually report to you and you decide the approach. In reunion cases many clients ask us to make a discreet approach first so the person is not ambushed, and we think that is usually the right instinct.
What if the person does not want to be found?
That changes things and we will tell you if the indications point that way. There are situations, including family violence contexts, where we will decline to provide a location and explain why. That is not us being difficult, it is us not becoming the instrument of something harmful.
Do you cover regional South Australia as well as Adelaide?
Yes. Adelaide 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 SA 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 Person Tracing in Melbourne, our South Australia coverage and our Adelaide page.