Privacy Policy

This policy explains how Melbourne Detective collects, uses, stores and discloses personal information in connection with factual research, OSINT, surveillance, corporate investigation and advocacy support. It is prepared by reference to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Client identity, instructions and investigation materials are treated as confidential.

Website: www.melbournedetective.com.au
Effective date: 15 September 2026

1. Who we are

Melbourne Detective provides confidential factual research and investigation services. Where legal oversight is required, work is conducted under the supervision of Fogarty Oliver Rothschild. That supervision does not make this page legal advice. It does mean that client instructions, work product and communications may also be handled as confidential legal-research material, and in some cases may attract legal professional privilege.

Contact for privacy matters: info@melbournedetective.com.au

2. Our privacy commitment

• We do not disclose who has hired us, except as set out in this policy or as required by law.
• Client names, contact details, instructions, files, reports and billing records are kept private.
• We collect personal information only for a lawful investigation, research or advocacy purpose, or to administer the client relationship.
• We do not sell, rent or trade client lists or investigation files.
• Open-source research uses publicly available information. We do not bypass passwords, CAPTCHAs, paywalls, private accounts or restricted systems.

3. The law we follow

We handle personal information in accordance with:

• the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles;
• applicable Victorian privacy, surveillance-devices, listening-devices and private-security laws;
• professional confidentiality obligations that apply when work is performed for, or under the supervision of, an Australian legal practice.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) administers the Privacy Act. Information about the APPs is published at www.oaic.gov.au.

4. What personal information we collect

Depending on the matter, we may collect:

• Client information: name, preferred name, address, telephone, email, identity documents, billing details, and the instructions you give us.
• Matter information: the lawful purpose of the enquiry, known facts, exclusions, and questions to be answered.
• Subject information: names, aliases, dates of birth or incorporation, locations, company numbers, contact identifiers, public-register entries, litigation records, media reports and other information reasonably necessary for the instructed research.
• Website information: details submitted through contact forms or the Google OSINT report tool, and standard technical logs such as IP address, browser type and pages viewed.

Some of this information may be sensitive information under the Privacy Act (for example health, criminal-record or biometric information). We only collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for the matter, permitted by law, or provided with consent.

5. How we collect it

• Directly from the client or the instructing lawyer.
• From public registers, court lists, company and insolvency databases, professional registers, news and other open sources.
• From lawful observation and other investigation methods that comply with applicable surveillance and security laws.
• From third parties where that collection is reasonably necessary and lawful (for example a referring solicitor, insurer or corporate client).

Where we collect information about a person who is not the client, we do so only for the instructed lawful purpose. We do not use covert or unlawful access to private accounts or communications.

6. Why we collect and use it

We use personal information to:

• assess whether we can accept an instruction;
• carry out factual research, OSINT, skip tracing, background research, surveillance, fraud enquiries, intellectual-property investigations and related reporting;
• provide advocacy-support work in selected civil, administrative and dispute-resolution matters;
• communicate with the client or instructing lawyer and issue invoices;
• meet legal, licensing, insurance and professional-supervision requirements;
• improve website security and prevent misuse of our tools.

We do not use client or subject information for unrelated marketing. We do not use investigation files to train public generative-AI systems.

7. Client confidentiality and law-firm supervised research

Protecting client identity and sensitive instructions is central to the service. In particular:

• We do not confirm or deny that a named person is a client, except to that client, their authorised representative, or as required by law.
• Files, reports and working papers are accessed only by personnel who need them for the matter.
• Where a matter is conducted under legal supervision, information may be shared with Fogarty Oliver Rothschild solely for that supervision, advice or associated legal work.
• Communications and work product created for legal advice or anticipated proceedings may be confidential and, where the law allows, privileged. Privilege belongs to the client. We do not waive it.

8. Disclosure

We disclose personal information only:

• to the client or the instructing Australian legal practitioner;
• to Fogarty Oliver Rothschild where legal supervision or legal work requires it;
• to contractors who assist us (for example secure IT, document production or licensed field agents) under confidentiality arrangements;
• to a court, tribunal, regulator or law-enforcement body where we are required or authorised by law to do so;
• with the client’s informed instruction, for example to a counterpart, insurer or expert.

Some service providers may store or process data outside Australia. If that occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure APP-comparable handling. Public-source research may involve querying overseas registers and search engines. Those queries are limited to the investigation purpose.

9. Website, contact forms and the OSINT tool

The site at www.melbournedetective.com.au and the Google OSINT report page collect only the information you enter plus ordinary server logs. The OSINT tool builds public-source search links and a source-linked worksheet. It does not call OpenAI or any generative model to invent facts about a person.

A matching name in a public source does not establish identity. Adverse findings must be verified against the primary source. Do not submit another person’s sensitive information through the website unless you have a lawful purpose and authority to do so.

10. Storage and security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Measures include restricted file access, password and device controls, and careful handling of reports sent by email. No electronic transmission is completely secure. If we become aware of an eligible data breach, we will assess and, where the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requires it, notify affected individuals and the OAIC.

11. Retention and destruction

We keep client and matter records for as long as needed for the purpose collected, for legal and professional retention periods, and to deal with complaints or proceedings. When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it, unless a law requires us to keep it.

12. Access, correction and complaints

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it, by emailing info@melbournedetective.com.au. Access may be refused or limited where the Privacy Act allows, including where giving access would unreasonably affect another person’s privacy, prejudice a lawful investigation, or disclose confidential client or privileged material.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:

• Website: www.oaic.gov.au
• Telephone: 1300 363 992

13. Children and third-party subjects

We do not seek personal information from children through this website. Information about third-party investigation subjects is collected only for a stated lawful purpose and is not published by us on this site.

14. Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version will be published at www.melbournedetective.com.au/privacy-policy.html.

Important: This policy describes how we handle information. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for advice from an Australian legal practitioner.