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 Brisbane and throughout Queensland, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run person tracing in Brisbane
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 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 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 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
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 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 Person Tracing in Melbourne, our Queensland coverage and our Brisbane page.