Surveillance is the service people picture when they think of a private investigator, and it is also the one most often done badly. Done properly it is patient, lawful observation that produces a record a court will accept. Done badly it produces a grainy phone video, an alerted subject and a matter that is now harder than it was before anyone got involved.
We provide surveillance in Brisbane and throughout Queensland, for private clients, law firms, insurers and employers.
How we run surveillance in Brisbane
A surveillance job starts with a briefing about what you actually need established, because that determines everything else. We work from public vantage points, plan for the subject’s likely patterns rather than reacting to them, and keep continuity of the record from the first observation to the last. Operatives work in shifts on longer jobs so that the same vehicle and the same face are not sitting in the same street for three days running, which is how subjects notice they are being watched.
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.
Queensland is the only Australian jurisdiction with no surveillance devices act. Optical and video surveillance is not covered by any dedicated statute here. The limits come instead from the Criminal Code, in particular section 227A on observations and recordings in breach of privacy and section 227B on distribution, along with trespass and stalking offences. That absence is not permission, and any operator who treats it that way will hand you evidence a court can still refuse.
Tracking devices are not regulated by Queensland statute, which makes Queensland an outlier. The constraints that remain are the Criminal Code, trespass, stalking, and the federal privacy tort that commenced on 10 June 2025.
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 time stamped video and photographic material, a written log of observations, and a report written to be read by a court or an insurer rather than by us. Where nothing of significance was observed, we say so plainly. A surveillance report that finds nothing is a legitimate result and often a useful 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
How long does surveillance take?
It depends entirely on the pattern you are trying to establish. Confirming a single suspected meeting might take one evening. Establishing a pattern of behaviour reliable enough for a court usually takes several sessions across different days. We will give you an honest estimate before you commit and tell you if we think the odds are poor.
Will the subject know?
Not if the job is run properly. The most common cause of a subject becoming aware is an under resourced job where the same operative and vehicle are used repeatedly. That is a budgeting decision as much as a tradecraft one, and we would rather tell you the real cost than run a job that burns itself.
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 Surveillance in Melbourne, our Queensland coverage and our Brisbane page.