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