An unknown number that keeps calling occupies a strange space. It feels minor enough that people hesitate to raise it, and unsettling enough that they cannot ignore it. Harassment, scam contact, a withheld number turning up at odd hours, or a number found somewhere it should not have been.
We provide phone number search in Hobart and throughout Tasmania, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run phone number search in Hobart
We work from lawful lookup and open source sources to identify what can be identified about a number and its origin, and we cross reference against other information you already hold. We are clear about a hard limit here: intercepting communications is a federal offence under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, and no investigator can lawfully obtain call content or read messages. Anyone offering that is either lying or committing an offence.
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.
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.
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 what could be established about the number and its origin, documented so that it can be given to police, to a lawyer, or used to support an intervention order application.
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
Can you tell me who owns any mobile number?
Not always, and honesty here matters more than a sales answer. Carrier records are protected. What can often be established comes from lawful lookup sources, open source traces and cross referencing, and results vary considerably between numbers.
Can you access someone’s calls or messages?
No. That is a federal offence and we will not do it. If someone has offered you that service, they have told you something important about how they operate.
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 Phone Number Search in Melbourne, our Tasmania coverage.


