Hi there. Your question is whether you have a right to privacy. In Australia, privacy law is mostly concerned with protecting personal information about individuals (for example, personal details collected by the government and other organisations). There are not many laws regarding personal privacy in the broader sense, such as restrictions on taking a photo of someone or filming them.

However, you may still have some legal options available to you. There have been several legal cases in the past where the law has recognised that a person may be entitled to monetary compensation if they have suffered loss or harm as a result of someone else invading their privacy. Most of these cases have involved publication of compromising images or video footage in newspapers, television or online. If your neighbour is threatening to publish the footage or has actually published the footage, then you may have a legal claim against them.

Alternatively, you may have a legal claim for trespass if your neighbour has entered any part of your property to carry out the filming. The law says that a person cannot enter someone else’s land without permission. The person whose property is trespassed upon can sue the other person for compensation.

From a practical perspective, you may want to consider talking to your neighbour about the issue to resolve the matter directly. If this is not possible, you have the option of resolving the matter via mediation, which involves a third party helping you find a solution. You can search for mediation services on the Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania website (www.legalaid.tas.gov.au).