QUEENSLAND

Mackay DUI Lawyers

In shortBoorman Lawyers are experienced, dedicated drink driving, drug driving and DUI lawyers who regularly appear at Mackay Magistrates Court and represent clients facing alcohol, drug and serious traffic charges at this courthouse. Mackay Magistrates Court, at 12 Brisbane Street, lists new matters at 8.30am on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays under its 2026 calendar. Special hardship and licence appeals go to a 10am callover on one Tuesday a month. We assist clients at Mackay 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: Mackay Magistrates Court, 12 Brisbane Street, Mackay Qld 4740. Phone (07) 4889 8400.
  • Lists (2026 calendar): new proceedings 8.30am Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (not Thursday or Friday); SHO and licence appeals 10am, remaining Tue 10 Nov and Tue 8 Dec.
  • Licence: disqualification on every conviction (TORUM s 86); interlock from 0.10 (s 91I).

Queensland law · law checked 20 Oct 2026

Mackay Magistrates Court building, Queensland, with the Boorman Lawyers logo and phone number 1300 941 900
What's on this page

How long does a Mackay drink driving matter take, from charge to licence back?

Expect it to run from the night of the charge to a year or more after court, in the steps set out below. At the court end, Mackay Magistrates Court (12 Brisbane Street) lists new proceedings at 8.30am on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, never on Thursdays or Fridays, according to its 2026 calendar. At the licence end, two Queensland rules shape the timeline. Under the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (TORUM), a conviction means a compulsory disqualification (s 86). And a reading of 0.10 or more adds an interlock period after relicensing, even for a first offence (s 91I). The timeline below runs from Day 1 to the point where your licence is fully restored.

Day 1: What happens on the night?

After a positive roadside test, police take an evidentiary breath specimen on an approved instrument and give you a certificate of the reading. For suspected drug driving, the roadside saliva test is followed by a sample sent to a laboratory. Refusing a specimen is an offence in its own right and is treated as seriously as the highest alcohol band (TORUM s 80).

Your licence status from tonight depends on s 79B:

  • Open licence, under 0.10, no other drink driving charge pending: suspended for 24 hours, then you may drive until the court decides.
  • 0.10 or higher, a refusal, or another pending drink driving charge: suspended from now until the case is finished.
  • Learner, P plate or probationary licence over zero: read the suspension notice carefully; the rules for novice drivers are stricter.

Keep the Notice to Appear and the certificate together. Almost every later step depends on the reading.

Days 2 to 14: What decisions come first?

These two weeks are when the important choices are made, before anything has been filed.

Is a work licence even possible? The restricted licence in s 87 is available to a limited group, and you can work out quickly whether you are in it. Ask yourself, about the day you were caught:

  • Was my licence an open Queensland licence? Novice and overseas licences do not qualify.
  • Was my reading below 0.15, and is my charge something other than under the influence or refusing a specimen?
  • Was I off duty, and in a vehicle the section does not exclude (not a truck, bus or similar)?
  • Over the previous five years, was my record free of drink driving convictions and of any licence suspension, cancellation or disqualification?

Four yeses mean you may apply. One no means the court has no power to grant it. A sugar mill fitter driving his own car home after a social game of touch football at 0.07 might give four yeses. The same fitter driving the mill's service vehicle on call does not, because he was driving for work.

Is there a defence? Look at whether police can prove you were driving or in charge of the vehicle, and whether testing complied with TORUM ss 79 and 80. The drink driving defences page and drink driving offences guide explain what has to be proved.

Weeks 2 to 6: What should be filed and gathered?

Work licence evidence. If you passed the four questions, you must still prove two things in sworn affidavits: that refusing the licence would cause extreme hardship to you or your family by depriving you of your means of earning a living, and that you are a fit and proper person to drive. Think about who can confirm the details. A theatre nurse at a Mackay hospital who is on call overnight and lives at Seaforth, with no public transport at 2am, has specific facts to put to the court. So does a self-employed electrician whose jobs are spread from Sarina to Mirani. A supporting statement from an employer or regular customers helps. The application must be decided before the disqualification is imposed. A licence granted after a reading of 0.10 or more includes an interlock condition (s 91K).

Mackay's calendar lists "SHO & licence appeals" in the 10am civil and miscellaneous callover, which falls on one Tuesday a month; the remaining 2026 dates are 10 November and 8 December. Whether a s 87 application is listed there or with your charge should be confirmed with the registry. See our restricted work licence guide and TMR's restricted licence page. A special hardship licence covers other suspensions, such as for demerit points, and is not an alternative after a court-ordered drink driving disqualification.

Sentencing material. Collect your TMR traffic history, signed references from people who know about the charge, an employer letter, and a certificate from any course you choose to do, such as those on our Traffic Offenders Program page. If a recorded conviction would affect your job, a visa or a registration, gather evidence of that.

Police facts. Read the QP9. If it is inaccurate, the error should be raised before you plead.

Court week: Which morning will you be at Brisbane Street?

Your Notice to Appear gives the date. New matters are listed on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday at 8.30am. Some dates to note for the rest of 2026:

  • Court 1 is not sitting on Wednesday 21 October, and Court 2 is not sitting on Monday 26 October.
  • The calendar notes that court sits on all days except Christmas Day, Good Friday, Anzac Day and Sundays, but Saturday and public holiday sittings are for people in custody.
  • Long pleas are allocated by the magistrate according to availability.

If you are suspended, plan transport from Andergrove, Walkerston, Bucasia or further out the evening before. If you cannot attend, contact the registry on (07) 4889 8400 before the date. Not attending can result in the charge being decided without you, or a warrant.

Court day: What happens from 8.30am?

Brisbane Street opens at 8.30am, the same time the callover begins, so be outside before then to clear the security screening. Without a lawyer of your own, find the duty lawyer through the court staff. The callover moves through many matters; yours may be reached quickly or after a long wait. When it is, the police prosecutor outlines the incident and tenders your driving record. Your side then speaks to your circumstances and tenders references and letters. A work licence application, if you have one, is heard before the penalty. The magistrate then sets the fine, orders the disqualification and decides about a conviction. Because the disqualification normally applies from that moment, have someone ready to drive you home. Our court process guide covers the procedure.

What the magistrate is choosing. For a first offence, s 86 fixes the floor and ceiling. On an open licence, 0.05 to under 0.10 carries 2 to 9 months, and 0.10 to under 0.15 carries 3 to 12 months. A learner, P plate, probationary or unlicensed driver above zero faces 3 to 9 months. A truck, bus or other zero-limit driver on an open licence faces 1 to 9 months. At 0.15 or more, or for under the influence or a specimen refusal, the floor is 6 months. A repeat offence within five years lifts every range. Within the range, s 86(2A) makes the reading and the danger to the public the key considerations. The drink driving penalties page lists fines and repeat periods.

Recording a conviction. Under s 12 of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 the court weighs the nature of the offence, your character and age, and the effect of a conviction on your economic or social wellbeing and job prospects. Not recording one does not shorten the disqualification. See the no conviction drink driving page.

Months 1 to 12: What must you do while disqualified?

  • Do not drive at all, unless you hold a work licence, and then only within its conditions. Driving while disqualified is a serious offence.
  • Pay the fine or arrange a plan with SPER if it is referred there.
  • Plan for the date the disqualification ends; you will need to apply to TMR for a new licence.

After the disqualification: When are you fully back on the road?

Your new licence will be probationary, with a zero alcohol limit, for at least a year.

If s 91I applies, you also face an interlock period of 12 months. It applies after a reading of 0.10 or more, an under the influence conviction, a failure to give a specimen, or a second drink driving offence within five years. In practice those 12 months mean:

  • choosing an approved provider and having the device fitted to the car you will drive;
  • returning for regular servicing and data downloads at the intervals TMR sets;
  • every driver of that car blowing into the device before starting it;
  • no failed or missed tests, because breaches can extend the period (s 91N).

The period starts only when you are relicensed and the device is fitted. If you put it off, the clock does not run. TMR's interlock page and our alcohol interlock page explain exemptions and costs. For a first offence at 0.12 with a five-month disqualification, the full timeline from the night of the charge could be well over 18 months.

How does the timeline change for drug driving?

For a drug charge, "Day 1" can last several weeks: the Notice to Appear often waits until the laboratory confirms the saliva result. From the first court date onwards the timeline matches the alcohol one. Mackay drivers may face either of two charges. One is having THC, methylamphetamine or MDMA present, which police can prove without any evidence of impairment. The other is being under the influence of a drug, which requires proof you were affected and attracts a six-month minimum disqualification. Your licence position while a drug charge is pending depends on the facts. Read more on the drug driving offences and penalties page, and if a collision or dangerous manoeuvre was involved, the dangerous driving page.

Which courts are near Mackay?

Approximate straight-line distances: Proserpine about 105 km north-west and Moranbah about 150 km south-west. More guides are on the QLD traffic law hub and in the QLD traffic law FAQs.

Mackay Magistrates Court details

Street address 12 Brisbane Street, Mackay Qld 4740
Postal address PO Box 104, Mackay Qld 4740
Phone (07) 4889 8400
Email courthouse.mackay@justice.qld.gov.au
Registry hours 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday and Wednesday to Friday; 8.30am to 4pm Tuesday

Source: Queensland Courts Magistrates Courts directory, checked 19 October 2026, and the Mackay 2026 calendar, checked 20 October 2026.

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

Watch Our Mackay DUI Case Review Video

Mackay DUI Lawyers – Case Review This outcome was reported before 31 August 2026, when Queensland drink driving penalties changed, so the penalties discussed here may not reflect current law.

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.

Mackay drink driving FAQs

What time are new matters listed at Mackay?

8.30am on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, according to the 2026 calendar. Check your Notice to Appear.

Can my case be listed on a Thursday or Friday?

New proceedings are not listed on Thursdays or Fridays. Adjourned matters and long pleas are allocated by the court.

How soon should I decide about a work licence?

Within the first couple of weeks. The application must be filed, served and decided before you are sentenced.

Can I get a work licence at 0.16?

No. Section 87 requires a reading below 0.15.

How long until I am interlock-free after a 0.11 reading?

The disqualification, then a 12-month interlock period once relicensed, with no breaches.

When is the registry open on Tuesdays?

8.30am to 4pm. On other weekdays it closes at 4.30pm.

Mackay Magistrates Court — court details

Mackay Magistrates Court

Street
12 Brisbane Street, Mackay QLD 4740
Postal
PO Box 104, Mackay Qld 4740
Phone
(07) 4889 8400
Email
courthouse.mackay@justice.qld.gov.au
Registry hours
8.30am – 4.30pm Monday and Wednesday to Friday; 8.30am – 4.00pm Tuesday
Days open
New proceedings 8.30am Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; civil and miscellaneous callover incl. special hardship orders and licence appeals 10am on one Tuesday a month (remaining 10 Nov, 8 Dec 2026)
➜ Get directions

Queensland Courts, Magistrates Courts directory (saved 19 Oct 2026) and Mackay 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.

Enquire about legal representation

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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