QUEENSLAND

Rockhampton DUI Lawyers

In shortBoorman Lawyers are experienced, dedicated drink driving, drug driving and DUI lawyers who regularly appear at Rockhampton Magistrates Court and represent clients facing alcohol, drug and serious traffic charges at this courthouse. Rockhampton Magistrates Court hears arrests, remands and traffic matters every weekday in Court 1, at the corner of East and Fitzroy Streets. It is also the registry for circuit courts such as Biloela. We assist clients at Rockhampton 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: Rockhampton Magistrates Court, corner East and Fitzroy Streets, Rockhampton Qld 4700. Phone (07) 4887 1700.
  • Traffic (2026 calendar): arrests, remands and traffic in Court 1, Monday to Friday; check the time on your Notice to Appear (the calendar note lists Notices to Appear for 9.30am).
  • Licence: disqualification on every conviction (TORUM s 86); interlock from 0.10 (s 91I).

Queensland law · law checked 20 Oct 2026

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

What should you do after a Rockhampton drink driving charge?

Work through the checklist below in order. Each stage lists what to tick off, and why it matters under Queensland's Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (TORUM). Two facts shape everything on the list: if you are convicted, the magistrate must disqualify you (s 86), and a reading of 0.10 or more brings an interlock after relicensing, even for a first offence (s 91I). Preparation does not change those rules. It makes sure the court has the full picture when it decides the parts it can control – the length of the disqualification, the fine, a work licence and whether a conviction is recorded.

What should you check in the first week?

  • Your licence status today. Under TORUM s 79B, a reading from 0.05 to under 0.10 on an open licence, with no other charge pending, means a 24-hour suspension and then you may drive until court. At 0.10 or more, after a refusal, or with another drink driving charge pending, you are suspended until the charge is decided. Do not drive if you are unsure.
  • The court and time on your Notice to Appear. Rockhampton hears traffic matters every weekday. The 2026 calendar puts arrests, remands and traffic in Court 1, and its practice note lists Notices to Appear for 9.30am. Your notice is the document that counts.
  • The reading on the certificate. It decides your disqualification band, whether a work licence is possible, and whether an interlock follows. Keep the certificate with your notice.
  • Your licence type on the night. An open licence, a learner or P licence, or a heavy vehicle licence each leads to different rules.
  • Whether you were driving for work. It matters for a work licence (see below).

Which band are you in?

Tick the line that matches you. These are first-offence ranges under s 86.

  • Open licence, 0.05 to under 0.10: 2 to 9 months.
  • Open licence, 0.10 to under 0.15: 3 to 12 months, then an interlock.
  • Learner, provisional, probationary or unlicensed, over zero: 3 to 9 months.
  • Truck, bus or other zero-limit driver on an open licence, over zero: 1 to 9 months.
  • 0.15 or more, under the influence, or failing to give a specimen: 6 months at the least, then an interlock.

A second offence within five years puts you in longer ranges. The court also imposes a fine. Our drink driving penalties page has the fines and the repeat periods. Within the range, s 86(2A) directs the magistrate to the reading and the real or potential danger to the public.

Is a work licence worth pursuing?

Decide this early, because a restricted licence application must be filed and heard before you are disqualified. Tick each box under TORUM s 87 – all four must be ticked, as at the time of the offence:

  • ☐ I held an open Queensland licence (not learner, P or probationary).
  • ☐ My reading was below 0.15, and I am not charged with under the influence or a refusal.
  • ☐ I was not driving as part of my job, and not driving a truck, bus or other specified vehicle.
  • ☐ In the five years before, I had no drink driving conviction and no suspension, cancellation or disqualification.

If any box stays empty, the court cannot grant one. If all four are ticked, you then need affidavit evidence that, without a licence, you or your family would suffer extreme hardship because you would lose your means of earning a living, and evidence that you are fit and proper to drive. Practical points for Rockhampton workers – a freight driver whose job is in their own car between depots, a tradesperson travelling to sites from Gracemere, a meatworks shift that starts before buses run – need to be spelt out, with an employer affidavit where possible. A work licence granted after a 0.10-plus reading carries an interlock condition (s 91K). See the restricted work licence guide and TMR's restricted licence page.

The Rockhampton calendar lists special hardship applications at 2pm on some Tuesdays (remaining 17 November and 15 December 2026). A special hardship licence is for other suspensions, such as for demerit points, and is not a route around a drink driving disqualification.

What should you gather in the weeks before court?

  • ☐ Advice on the plea. If you dispute the driving, the reading or the procedure under TORUM s 80, a not guilty plea may be appropriate. The drink driving defences page explains possible defences, and the drink driving offences guide sets out what police must prove.
  • ☐ Your traffic history from TMR. The prosecutor will hand it to the magistrate.
  • ☐ The police facts (QP9). Read them carefully. If something is wrong, it should be raised before you plead.
  • ☐ References. Two or three, from people who know you and know about the charge, signed and dated.
  • ☐ An employer letter describing your role, hours and how you get to work.
  • ☐ A course certificate, if you choose to do one. The Traffic Offenders Program page explains the options.
  • ☐ Work licence affidavits, filed and served in time, if you are applying.
  • ☐ A plan for the disqualification – lifts, public transport, roster changes.

If you are thinking about asking the court not to record a conviction, note why it matters to you – a job, a professional registration, a visa. Under s 12 of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 the court considers the nature of the offence, your character and age, and the impact of a conviction on your economic or social wellbeing and job prospects. A no-conviction order does not affect the disqualification. See the no conviction drink driving page.

The Rockhampton calendar lists both programs. Court Link connects people on bail with support for issues such as alcohol or drug use. Murri Court involves Elders and respected persons in the sentencing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Whether either is available for a traffic charge depends on each program's criteria. If either might apply, raise it early, because assessment takes time.

What should you do the day before?

  • ☐ Put your Notice to Appear, certificate, references, letters and certificates in one folder, with copies.
  • ☐ Confirm the time and court on the notice.
  • ☐ Arrange a lift both ways. If you were suspended until court you cannot drive there, and a disqualification usually starts as soon as it is ordered.
  • ☐ Plan to arrive early. The calendar asks anyone noticed or bailed to be there 30 minutes before the callover so the duty lawyer can take instructions.
  • ☐ Tell your employer you may be at court most of the day.

If you genuinely cannot attend, contact the registry on (07) 4887 1700 before the date or arrange a lawyer to appear. Not attending can lead to the charge being dealt with in your absence or a warrant.

What happens on court day at East Street?

  • ☐ Pass through security at the corner of East and Fitzroy Streets and find Court 1, where the traffic list runs.
  • ☐ Check in with the court staff or the prosecutor's table, and speak to the duty lawyer if you do not have your own lawyer.
  • ☐ Wait for your matter to be called – the order is set by the court.
  • ☐ When called, the prosecutor reads the facts and hands up your history. You or your lawyer speak about your circumstances and hand up your material.
  • ☐ Any work licence application is decided before sentence. Then the magistrate imposes the fine and the disqualification.

The building has videoconferencing and a remote witness room. The court process guide walks through each step.

What about a drug driving charge?

The checklist is the same, with two differences. First, the Notice to Appear often arrives weeks after the stop, because a roadside saliva sample is sent for laboratory analysis. Second, the charge type matters: driving with a relevant drug (THC, methylamphetamine or MDMA) present is proved without showing impairment, while driving under the influence of a drug requires proof you were affected and sits in the six-month-minimum band. Both bring a compulsory disqualification. How the licence stands while the charge is pending depends on the facts. See the drug driving offences and penalties page.

What if there was a crash or the charge is more serious?

  • ☐ Find out whether police have laid other charges, such as dangerous operation of a vehicle – see the dangerous driving page.
  • ☐ Gather photographs, repair quotes and any medical information about injuries.
  • ☐ Expect that the matter may not be finished on the first date.

Aggravating features such as a collision, passengers or a very high reading push toward the top of the band.

What do you need to tick off after court?

  • ☐ Note the start date and length of the disqualification, and do not drive until it ends. Driving while disqualified is a further serious offence.
  • ☐ If you were granted a work licence, follow every condition, including any interlock condition.
  • ☐ Pay or arrange the fine through SPER if it is referred there.
  • ☐ Apply to TMR for a new licence when the disqualification ends. It will be probationary for at least a year, with a zero alcohol limit.
  • ☐ If your reading was 0.10 or more, or you were convicted of under the influence, a refusal or a repeat offence, complete 12 months with an interlock (TORUM ss 91I and 91N). The alcohol interlock page and TMR's interlock page explain the steps.

Which other courts are near Rockhampton?

Rockhampton is the registry for several circuit courts, including Biloela. Approximate straight-line distances: Yeppoon about 35 km north-east, Gladstone about 90 km south-east, and Biloela about 113 km south. Your Notice to Appear names your court. More guides are on the QLD traffic law hub and in our QLD traffic law FAQs.

Rockhampton Magistrates Court details

Street address Corner East and Fitzroy Streets, Rockhampton Qld 4700
Postal address PO Box 830, Rockhampton Qld 4700
Phone (07) 4887 1700
Email courthouse.rockhampton@justice.qld.gov.au
Registry hours 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 8.30am to 4pm Tuesday
Facilities Wi-Fi, videoconferencing, remote witness room

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

To talk about your Rockhampton 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.

Rockhampton drink driving FAQs

Which days does Rockhampton hear traffic matters?

Every weekday, in Court 1, except public holidays and the magistrates' conference week. Your Notice to Appear gives your date and time.

Can I drive to my Rockhampton court date?

Only if you were under 0.10 on an open licence with nothing else pending, after the 24-hour suspension. Otherwise you remain suspended until the charge is decided.

When must a work licence application be filed?

Before you are sentenced, because it must be decided before the disqualification is ordered. Allow time for affidavits and service.

Is there a minimum disqualification for a first offence?

Yes. On an open licence at 0.05 to under 0.10, the minimum is 2 months and the maximum 9 months.

Do I need an interlock after a first offence?

Yes, for 12 months, if your reading was 0.10 or more, or the conviction was for under the influence or a refusal.

My notice says Biloela. Who do I call?

The Rockhampton registry on (07) 4887 1700, which handles enquiries and filing for the Biloela circuit.

Rockhampton Magistrates Court — court details

Rockhampton Magistrates Court

Street
Cnr East and Fitzroy Streets, Rockhampton QLD 4700
Postal
PO Box 830, Rockhampton Qld 4700
Phone
(07) 4887 1700
Email
courthouse.rockhampton@justice.qld.gov.au
Registry hours
8.30am – 4.30pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 8.30am – 4.00pm Tuesday
Days open
Arrests, remands and traffic Monday to Friday, Court 1 (Notices to Appear listed 9.30am per calendar note); special hardship applications 2pm on listed Tuesdays
Facilities
Wi-Fi, videoconferencing, remote witness room
➜ Get directions

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