Recording law · Australia
Can I record a call in Australia?
It depends on the state. Recording at your own end is governed by state and territory surveillance-device laws, and most of them require the consent of everyone in a private conversation.
It depends on the state
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026. Laws change and facts differ; check before you rely on any line here, and ask a lawyer licensed where you record for anything that matters.
Does recording a call in Australia need one-party or all-party consent?
It depends on the state. New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT generally require everyone to consent. Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory let a party record their own conversation, but restrict sharing it without consent.
- New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT generally require all parties to consent. Exceptions are limited, such as protecting your lawful interests and, in New South Wales, Tasmania and the ACT, a recording not made to share with anyone outside the conversation.
- Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory allow a party to record their own conversation, but restrict publishing or sharing it without consent.
- The federal Privacy Act applies to organisations with annual turnover above 3 million Australian dollars and to some smaller ones, such as health service providers, and requires notice when personal information is collected.
- With participants in more than one state, follow the strictest: announce and get agreement.
The law
- Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth)
- Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
- Surveillance Devices Act 2007 (NSW)
- Surveillance Devices Act 1999 (Vic)
- Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 (Qld)
- Surveillance Devices Act 1998 (WA)
- Surveillance Devices Act 2016 (SA)
- Listening Devices Act 1991 (Tas)
- Listening Devices Act 1992 (ACT)
- Surveillance Devices Act 2007 (NT)
Breaches are criminal offences under the state Acts, with fines, imprisonment or both.
When the others are somewhere else
Treat a call with anyone in Australia as an all-party call unless you know every participant is in Victoria, Queensland or the Northern Territory. Video meetings are treated like phone calls, and the strictest rule that applies to anyone on the call is the one to follow.
Do I have to tell people I'm recording a call in Australia?
In most states and territories, yes, and everyone has to agree. Say it at the start, before anything else, wait for agreement, and say it again when someone joins late.
“Quick note before we start: I’m recording and transcribing this meeting on my own machine for my notes. It isn’t shared with anyone unless I send it to you. Let me know if you’d rather I didn’t.”
How Recordist fits
- One-party consent covers only conversations you take part in. Recordist records whatever your microphone picks up and whatever plays through your computer's sound output, so it can also record a call or a room you aren't part of, and that needs the consent the law sets for it. No bot joins the call.
- By default it asks before it records a call. A detected call is recorded only after you click Record, unless you add that app to Record without asking for in Settings → Detection or allow agents to start recordings in Settings → Integrations; both are off by default. The confirm card shows a one-line reminder that consent is your responsibility, so keep the sentence above to hand.
- The notice is still yours to give. Software cannot give consent for the other people. In Australia, tell them and get their agreement first.