QUEENSLAND

Charleville DUI Lawyers

In shortBoorman Lawyers are experienced, dedicated drink driving, drug driving and DUI lawyers who regularly appear at Charleville Magistrates Court and represent clients facing alcohol, drug and serious traffic charges at this courthouse. Charleville Magistrates Court is on the Roma circuit and holds its police callover at 9am about once a month, with licence applications heard in the same list. We assist clients at Charleville Magistrates Court by appearing at court mentions, guilty pleas and sentencing hearings, preparing comprehensive sentencing submissions and character reference material, advising on compulsory licence disqualification periods and mandatory alcohol interlock rules under Queensland law, and preparing section 87 restricted work licence and special hardship order applications.

Court: Charleville Magistrates Court, 43 Alfred Street, Charleville Qld 4470. Phone (07) 4656 9500.
Police callover (2026 calendar): 9am, about monthly (mostly Tuesdays) – remaining dates 10 November and 8 December 2026.
Licence: disqualification on every conviction; interlock from 0.10.

Queensland law · law checked 20 Oct 2026

Call 1300 941 900 Make an enquiry about legal representation

What's on this page

What should you know first about a Charleville drink driving charge?

Out west, advice gets passed around at the pub, the saleyards and the station kitchen. Some of it is right. A lot of it is out of date or comes from another state. This page sets out the claims people bring to us about a Charleville charge and checks each one against the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (TORUM) and the 2026 Charleville court calendar.

Charleville Magistrates Court sits at 43 Alfred Street as part of the Roma court circuit. The police callover, where drink and drug driving charges are first heard, starts at 9am roughly once a month.

Does living 500 km from Brisbane change the penalty?

Myth: "The magistrate knows we have no buses out here, so a bush driver keeps their licence."

Fact: Remoteness does not switch off the law. For drink driving, TORUM s 86 obliges the court to disqualify you from holding or obtaining a licence. The magistrate chooses the length within a fixed band, but cannot choose zero. For a first offence the bands are:

Reading or charge	Period the court must impose
Over the no alcohol limit (0.00 drivers)	Between 3 and 9 months
0.05 up to 0.099 (general alcohol limit)	Between 2 and 9 months
0.10 up to 0.149 (middle alcohol limit)	Between 3 and 12 months
0.15 or above, under the influence, or refusing a specimen	No less than 6 months

That holds even if no conviction is recorded. What distance can do is shape the evidence you put before the court about hardship, and where in the band the period lands. The drink driving penalties page covers fines and second offences.

Can a station hand or contractor always get a work licence?

Myth: "If you need the ute for work, they have to give you a work licence."

Fact: A restricted licence under TORUM s 87 is discretionary and closed to a lot of drivers. You can only apply if all of these are true:

your licence was an open Queensland licence, not a learner, P1, P2 or probationary licence;
the reading was below 0.15;
you were not working in a vehicle, or behind the wheel of a truck, bus or other specified vehicle, at the time; and
in the last five years you have had no disqualification, suspension or cancellation and no earlier drink driving conviction.

Clear that hurdle and you still have to prove, by affidavit, that refusal would cause extreme hardship by costing you or your family the means of earning a living, and that you are fit and proper to drive. A reading of 0.10 or more brings an interlock condition with the restricted licence (s 87 note; s 91K). The application is decided at sentence, before the disqualification is ordered, so it has to be filed before the callover. Our restricted work licence guide sets out what the affidavits need.

Myth: "A special hardship licence is the backup plan."

Fact: A special hardship licence is for some other kinds of suspension, such as demerit point suspensions. It is not a way around a disqualification ordered for drink driving.

Can you drive home from the station after you blow?

Myth: "If you're under 0.10, police let you drive off."

Fact: Nobody drives away. Under TORUM s 79B the licence is suspended on the spot. Below 0.10 with no other drink driving charge on foot, that suspension lasts 24 hours. At 0.10 or more, if you refused to give a specimen, or if another charge is already pending, it lasts until the court finalises the case. On a property road or the Warrego Highway it makes no difference; the suspension covers every vehicle. A s 79E order may let some drivers keep driving in narrow circumstances.

Myth: "Low, mid and high range are the official names."

Fact: TORUM speaks of the no alcohol, general, middle and high alcohol limits. "Low range" and similar terms are informal labels. Our drink driving offences guide lists every charge.

Can you turn up at Charleville court any weekday?

Myth: "The court's in town, so I'll front up when I'm next in."

Fact: Charleville does not hear police matters every week. The 2026 calendar lists one police callover a month at 9am, almost always on a Tuesday. It covers police prosecutions, hearing mentions, and licence applications and appeals. The domestic violence, children's, child protection and civil lists run the day before. The remaining 2026 police callovers are:

Tuesday 10 November 2026
Tuesday 8 December 2026

The District Court sits in Charleville from 26 October to 6 November 2026, and longer pleas and hearings are listed by the magistrate. Your Notice to Appear gives your date; if it differs from this list, follow the notice and check with the registry. The full calendar is on the Queensland Courts website.

Myth: "If I don't show, they'll just post me a new date."

Fact: If you miss the callover, the magistrate can decide the charge without you, which may include a disqualification you learn about later, or issue a warrant. With the next callover usually a month away, an adjournment at 0.10 or more also keeps you off the road for another month. If you cannot attend, contact the registry well before the date or have a lawyer appear for you.

Is a drug driving charge only about being affected?

Myth: "I wasn't stoned, so the saliva test can't stick."

Fact: Driving with a relevant drug present, such as THC, methylamphetamine or MDMA, does not need proof that you were affected. Driving under the influence of a drug is a separate, more serious charge. Both mean a compulsory disqualification. Because the second sample goes to a laboratory, the Notice to Appear can arrive weeks after the stop. The drug driving offences and penalties page explains the charges. How a pending drug charge affects your licence before court depends on the facts.

Is the morning after or a refusal any safer?

Myth: "A night's sleep in the swag fixes it."

Fact: The body clears alcohol slowly, and a reading taken the next morning is treated like any other reading.

Myth: "Refuse the test and they've got nothing."

Fact: Refusing a specimen is its own offence, and it carries the same disqualification of at least six months that applies at 0.15 or more. It also keeps your licence suspended until court.

Does the licence come back when the disqualification ends?

Myth: "Once the months are up I can drive again."

Fact: You must apply to the Department of Transport and Main Roads for a new licence. Expect a probationary licence for at least a year with the no alcohol limit. Under TORUM ss 91I and 91N, an interlock is required for 12 months if your reading was 0.10 or more, or you were convicted of driving under the influence, refusing a specimen or a repeat offence. With few interlock installers in the south west, check early where the nearest approved provider is. See our alcohol interlock page and TMR's alcohol ignition interlocks page.

Myth: "No conviction recorded means no penalty."

Fact: The no conviction drink driving page explains what that order does and does not do. The disqualification still applies.

How do you prepare when the court is hours from home?

For people from Augathella, Morven, Quilpie or Tambo, getting to Alfred Street by 9am without a licence takes planning. Arrange a lift or stay in town the night before. Bring your Notice to Appear, the breath analysis certificate, references and any evidence of employment or of what losing your licence means for you, and any traffic course certificate. Arrive early, tell the court staff you are there, and speak to the duty lawyer if you have no lawyer. The court process guide explains what happens in the courtroom.

Which other courts might be on your notice?

Approximate straight-line distances from Charleville: Roma about 254 km east, the circuit's hub; St George about 294 km south-east; and Longreach further north-west. Your notice names the court. More guides are on the QLD traffic law hub.

Charleville Magistrates Court details


Street address	43 Alfred Street, Charleville Qld 4470
Postal address	PO Box 141, Charleville Qld 4470
Phone	(07) 4656 9500
Email	courthouse.charleville@justice.qld.gov.au
Registry hours	8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday

Source: Queensland Courts Magistrates Courts directory, checked 19 October 2026.

To talk about your Charleville matter, call 1300 941 900 or make an enquiry about legal representation.

Queensland penalty changes in 2026: check your offence date (law checked 20 Oct 2026).

Offences on or after 31 August 2026: higher maximum fines apply. They are 20 penalty units ($3,454) for the general alcohol limit and no alcohol limit offences, 28 ($4,835.60) for the middle alcohol limit and 40 ($6,908) for driving under the influence of liquor or a drug. A first general alcohol limit conviction (0.05 to under 0.10) on an open licence now carries 2 to 9 months' disqualification. For offences before 31 August 2026 it was 1 to 9 months. Police can now give an eligible first low-range driver on an open Queensland licence an infringement notice of $1,295 instead of a court charge. Unless the driver elects to go to court, a 2-month disqualification follows. It counts as a conviction, and there is no work licence for that period. Drug driving (a relevant drug present) has not changed yet. The maximum is 14 penalty units ($2,417.80) or 3 months, with 1 to 9 months' disqualification on an open licence and 3 to 9 months for learner, P-plate and unlicensed drivers.

Offences on or after 1 December 2026: minimum fines start for drink and drug driving. For example, the minimum is 7.5 penalty units for low range and for drug driving. The drug driving maximum rises to 28 penalty units, and a first offence on an open licence carries 2 to 9 months' disqualification. A new offence of driving with a relevant drug present while over an alcohol limit adds 1 month to the disqualification range.

An offence committed before a change is generally dealt with under the penalties in force when it happened. Sources: TORUM ss 78E, 79, 79B, 79H–79J and 86, as amended by the Queensland Community Safety Act 2024 and the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026. Penalty unit $172.70 from 1 July 2026.

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Charleville drink driving FAQs

How often does Charleville hear drink driving charges?

About once a month, at the 9am police callover. The remaining 2026 dates are 10 November and 8 December.

Is a work licence application heard on the same day?

Yes. The calendar lists licence applications in the police callover, so the application is heard with your plea, before the disqualification is ordered.

Will I lose my licence on the night?

Yes, for at least 24 hours. At 0.10 or more, or after refusing a specimen, it stays suspended until court.

Does a traffic offender course help?

It can show the court that you have thought about the offence. It does not remove the compulsory disqualification. See the Traffic Offenders Program page.

I drive a road train. Can I get a work licence?

Not if you were driving a truck, bus or other specified vehicle, or driving for work, when you were caught. The s 87 rules exclude that case.

Will I need an interlock?

Yes, for 12 months, if your reading was 0.10 or more, or you were convicted of driving under the influence, refusing a specimen or a repeat offence.

Sources and date checked

Sources and references for this page, checked 20 Oct 2026.

Queensland Courts – Magistrates Courts directory (Charleville) — checked 19 Oct 2026
Queensland Courts – Charleville Magistrates Court 2026 calendar (PDF) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (Qld) – reprint current from 21 September 2026 (ss 79, 79B, 80, 86, 87, 91I, 91K, 91N) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Government (TMR) – Restricted (work) licence — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Government (TMR) – Alcohol ignition interlocks — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Community Safety Act 2024 (Act No. 45), ss 93–104 – TORUM amendments commenced 31 August 2026 — checked 20 Oct 2026
Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026 (Act No. 23) – assent 21 September 2026; pt 10 div 3 commences 1 December 2026 — checked 20 Oct 2026
TORUM legislative history (commencement of amending Acts) — checked 20 Oct 2026

This page is general information about Queensland law only. It is not legal advice. Every matter turns on its own facts.

Charleville Magistrates Court — court details

Charleville Magistrates Court

Street: 43 Alfred Street, Charleville QLD 4470
Postal: PO Box 141, Charleville Qld 4470
Phone: (07) 4656 9500
Email: courthouse.charleville@justice.qld.gov.au
Registry hours: 8.30am – 4.30pm Monday to Friday
Days open: Police callover 9am about monthly (Roma circuit), including licence applications and appeals; DV, children's, child protection and civil lists the day before

➜ Get directions

Queensland Courts, Magistrates Courts directory and all-courts list (saved 19 Oct 2026) and Charleville Magistrates Court 2026 calendar (downloaded 20 Oct 2026). These are the court registry's details, not Boorman Lawyers office details. Check your court papers for your listing time and courtroom.

QLD Traffic Law

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Guides for Queensland traffic law matters.

QLDDrink Driving OffencesRead guide →QLDDrink Driving PenaltiesRead guide →QLDDrink Driving DefencesRead guide →QLDDrug Driving Offences & PenaltiesRead guide →QLDNo Conviction Drink DrivingRead guide →QLDDUI Restricted Work LicenceRead guide →QLDSpecial Hardship LicenceRead guide →QLDAlcohol Interlock LawsRead guide →QLDTraffic Offenders ProgramRead guide →QLDAppeal Immediate DUI Police SuspensionRead guide →QLDDangerous DrivingRead guide →QLDDUI Court Process GuideRead guide →

Enquire about legal representation

Call 1300 941 900 or make an enquiry about legal representation.

What to have ready

Court & next listing date: Which court is on your paperwork and when your matter is listed.
Charge or reading (if known): Tell us the charge or reading if you have it — you do not need your full police facts yet.
Work & driving needs: Let us know if you rely on your licence for work or family responsibilities.

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