Listening Device (Listening Bug)
Listening Devices: What Australian Law Actually Allows
People arrive on this page for one of two reasons. Either they want to buy a listening device, or they want to know whether recording a conversation will land them in trouble.
We no longer supply covert listening devices, and this page explains why. It also gives you the honest answer on what you can and cannot do, and what the alternatives are.
The short version
Planting a device to listen to a conversation you are not part of is a criminal offence everywhere in Australia. There is no consumer exemption, no exemption for spouses, and no exemption for wanting to know the truth. In New South Wales it sits under the Surveillance Devices Act 2007 and carries both imprisonment and substantial fines.
That is why we stopped supplying them.
What about recording a conversation I am part of?
This is the more common question and the answer depends on which state you are in.
In Victoria, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, a person who is part of a private conversation can generally record it without telling the others.
In New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, recording a private conversation generally requires the consent of everyone involved. New South Wales has a narrow exception where the recording is reasonably necessary to protect a person’s lawful interests, which is a real exception but a much narrower one than people assume.
Even where recording is permitted, what you can then do with the recording is restricted separately. Publishing it or sending it to other people is a different offence again.
This is general information, not legal advice, and the details matter enormously in an individual case. Get advice before you rely on it.
Where does that leave you?
If you need to know what is going on, there are lawful ways to find out, and they work better than a bug would.
Surveillance conducted by licensed investigators is lawful. Observation in public, documented movements, photographic evidence, background and asset checks. It produces material that can be used in family law proceedings, in a civil claim or in an employment matter, which a covertly obtained recording generally cannot.
We have been doing this in Sydney for a long time. Call us, tell us the situation, and we will tell you plainly whether it is something that can be helped and what it would cost.
Equipment we do supply
For anyone who came here looking for equipment, we still supply a full range for lawful use, and we will tell you before you buy whether it suits what you have in mind.
- GPS trackers for vehicles, trailers and equipment you own
- Voice activated recorders for meetings, dictation and lawful recording
- Discreet cameras for your own home or business premises
- Mobile phone monitoring software for handsets you own or issue to staff
- Computer monitoring software for company or family computers
Call us on 1300 773 293, any time. A conversation costs nothing and we will give you a straight answer.