Charged in Queensland?
Expert criminal defence
starts here.
Queensland’s criminal law landscape has changed significantly in recent years — new offences, tightened bail laws, and shifting enforcement priorities. The decisions you make in the hours after being charged or contacted by police are among the most consequential of your life.
recorded — 2024–25
are domestic violence related
applications — 2024–25
coercive control (from May 2025)
Coercive control became a standalone criminal offence in Queensland on 26 May 2025, with the strongest maximum penalty in Australia. The law you are facing today is not the law of two years ago — get advice from lawyers who practise in Queensland courts every day.
Criminal law is all we do — across all Queensland courts.
That focus produces the depth of knowledge, the specialist relationships, and the courtroom experience that complex and serious criminal matters demand. Whether your matter is a first drink driving charge in the Brisbane Magistrates Court or a trafficking allegation in the District Court, the approach is the same: clear advice from day one, thorough preparation, and determined representation.
Our criminal lawyers practice exclusively in criminal law. We appear across all Queensland courts — from the Magistrates Court for summary matters, committal hearings, and bail applications, through to the District Court and Supreme Court for serious indictable offences, and the Court of Appeal for conviction and sentence appeals. We act for clients in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and across Queensland.
Our team includes Accredited Criminal Law Specialists — a designation granted by the Queensland Law Society to practitioners who meet demanding standards of knowledge, skill, and demonstrated expertise. Accreditation requires a formal examination process and peer assessment. It is a meaningful indicator of depth and currency in a rapidly evolving area of law.
Your first conference is free and completely confidential. Contact us 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Which court hears your matter determines the stakes.
Magistrates Court
Operates across approximately 130 locations statewide. All criminal proceedings begin here. Summary offences — traffic matters, minor assaults, drug possession, public nuisance — are heard and finalised entirely here. More serious indictable offences commence here before committal to a higher court. DV protection order applications are made here.
District Court
Hears serious indictable offences committed for trial or sentence from the Magistrates Court — serious assault causing grievous bodily harm, armed robbery, sexual offences, commercial drug supply and trafficking, fraud at scale, and weapons offences. Trials are heard by a judge, with a jury for contested matters.
Supreme Court
Deals with the most serious criminal matters — murder, manslaughter, major drug importation, and offences carrying maximum penalties of life imprisonment. The Court of Appeal hears appeals from both the District Court and Magistrates Court on conviction, sentence, and questions of law.
Children’s Court
Handles criminal matters involving young offenders under 18, operating within the Magistrates Court system. Significant reforms under the Making Queensland Safer Act 2025 have expanded the range of offences for which children can face adult penalties, including murder, manslaughter, and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
Queensland criminal defence across every category of the law.
Drug Offences
Governed by the Drugs Misuse Act 1986 (Qld), offences divide by drug schedule and conduct — from possession (dealt with summarily for small quantities) through supply to trafficking under section 5, which carries 25 years maximum for Schedule 1 drugs. Queensland’s Police Drug Diversion Program covers all drugs from April 2023 for first and subsequent minor offences, but beyond three strikes or for quantities suggesting supply, the criminal process begins. Drug importation engages Commonwealth law — the AFP and Australian Border Force — and requires counsel experienced in both state and federal criminal procedure.
QLD drug offences ›Assault & Serious Violence
Assault charges in Queensland span from common assault in the Magistrates Court to grievous bodily harm — requiring proof of serious permanent disfigurement, loss of a body part, or life-threatening injury — in the District Court. The Criminal Code 1899 (Qld) governs these offences. Serious violence cases are defended on multiple fronts: sufficiency and admissibility of identification evidence, witness reliability, forensic evidence, and whether self-defence under section 31 of the Criminal Code applies.
QLD assault & violence offences ›Domestic Violence & Coercive Control
Queensland’s DV laws have undergone their most significant reforms in a generation. Coercive control became a standalone criminal offence on 26 May 2025 under Hannah’s Law — targeting a course of conduct rather than any single incident, with a maximum of 14 years imprisonment, the strongest such penalty in Australia. Domestic Violence Orders carry criminal consequences for breach, including prohibition from your own home and contact with children. From October 2025, electronic monitoring applies to DV matters. Experienced defence representation from the moment police contact you is essential.
QLD domestic violence offences ›Drink & Drug Driving
In Brisbane and the Gold Coast, a driver’s licence is frequently essential for employment and family responsibilities. Queensland drink driving law under TORUM creates five offence categories from low-range (0.05–0.099 BAC) through to high-range (0.15 and above). Second and subsequent offences within five years attract substantially increased penalties and mandatory Alcohol Ignition Interlock requirements. Every charge results in a court attendance — police cannot issue infringement notices for drink driving. First-time offenders may be eligible for a work licence permitting driving for employment during disqualification.
QLD traffic & drink driving offences ›Sexual Offences
Sexual offence allegations carry the most severe personal, professional, and legal consequences in the criminal law spectrum. Convictions attract lengthy imprisonment, mandatory inclusion on the Queensland Child Protection Register where victims are under 16, and permanent impacts on housing, employment, and relationships. From 26 May 2025, affirmative consent was introduced into Queensland law — consent is no longer simply an absence of refusal, and a defendant must have taken positive steps to ascertain it. This change has direct implications for how sexual offence trials are conducted and how defences are constructed.
QLD sexual offences ›Fraud & White Collar Crime
White collar matters engage both state law — the Criminal Code 1899 (Qld) for fraud, forgery, and dishonesty offences — and Commonwealth law for matters involving ASIC, the ATO, and the ACCC. ASIC commenced 132 new investigations in the first six months of 2025 alone — double the prior year. State fraud prosecutions can involve large volumes of financial evidence: bank records, electronic transaction data, business records, and expert accounting analysis. We work with specialist forensic accountants where complex matters demand it.
QLD fraud & white collar offences ›Queensland criminal law has changed significantly.
The legal environment you are entering today is more complex and faster-moving than it has ever been. Multiple major reforms have commenced across 2025 and 2026 — affecting criminal liability, police powers, bail conditions, evidence rules, and sentencing.
Our lawyers practise in Queensland courts every day and stay current with every amendment as it commences. That currency is not optional in this environment — it is the baseline for competent criminal defence.
Coercive control — standalone offence
Hannah’s Law creates a standalone coercive control offence in the Criminal Code 1899 (Qld). Maximum 14 years imprisonment — the strongest coercive control penalty in Australia. Targets a course of conduct, not a single incident. No requirement for physical violence.
Affirmative consent introduced
Queensland now requires a defendant to have taken positive steps to ascertain consent. Absence of refusal is no longer sufficient. Direct implications for how sexual offence trials are conducted and how defences are constructed.
Bail presumption — repeat DV offenders
A presumption against bail now applies to repeat domestic violence offenders, placing the burden on the accused to show cause why detention is not justified.
Electronic monitoring — DV matters
Electronic monitoring provisions commenced for domestic violence matters, applicable as both a bail condition and post-sentence supervision tool.
Police Protection Directions
Further provisions of the 2024 reform package commenced, extending police powers to issue protection directions and expanding information-sharing obligations between agencies.
GPS monitoring — youth offenders
The Youth Justice (Electronic Monitoring) Amendment made GPS tracking permanent and statewide for youth offenders aged 10–17, available to courts even for first-time offenders.
The first critical battle.
Remaining in custody while a matter proceeds through the court system can mean weeks or months of pre-trial detention — affecting employment, family, and the ability to properly instruct your lawyers. Getting the bail application right the first time is essential. A weak application that fails sets the tone for how the rest of the matter unfolds.
Under the Bail Act 1980 (Qld), courts consider the risk of failing to appear, the risk of reoffending, and the risk to community safety. The framework has been tightened repeatedly in recent years — bail is harder to obtain than it was even five years ago, and the consequences of a failed application are more significant.
For certain serious offences — including repeat domestic violence matters and many serious indictable offences — a show cause or exceptional circumstances requirement applies, placing the burden on the accused to justify release rather than on the prosecution to justify detention. Skilled preparation of these applications, including character evidence, stable accommodation, and surety arrangements, is the difference between remand and release.
Queensland has expanded electronic monitoring as a bail condition for both youth and adult offenders. From April 2026, GPS tracking is available as a bail condition for youth offenders aged 10–17 even for first-time offenders. For adult DV matters, electronic monitoring has applied since October 2025. These conditions can be negotiated and challenged — understanding the framework matters.
Know your rights before you speak.
You are not required to answer police questions
Under the Criminal Code 1899 (Qld) and associated framework, you are not required to answer police questions beyond providing identifying information. Before any formal interview, police must caution you — advising that you are not required to say anything and that anything you do say may be used as evidence. What you say in the first 24 hours can shape every decision that follows.
Get advice before any interview
Do not attend a police interview without first speaking with a criminal defence lawyer. This applies equally whether you are being questioned about a domestic violence allegation, a drug investigation, or a fraud matter. An interview conducted without legal advice can permanently limit the defences available to you. Call 1300 331 331 before you say anything.
Depth you can rely on
Our team includes Accredited Criminal Law Specialists — a designation granted by the Queensland Law Society to practitioners who meet demanding standards of knowledge, skill, and demonstrated expertise. In an area of law that has changed as rapidly as Queensland criminal law has over the past two years, that currency of knowledge is not a credential — it is a requirement for competent representation.
Speak to a lawyer before you do anything else.
The first conference is free and completely confidential. We’ll give you an honest assessment of where you stand, what the prosecution needs to prove, and what your realistic options are — before any decision is made that narrows them. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Queensland Law Society grants Accredited Specialist status in criminal law to practitioners who meet rigorous criteria including demonstrated expertise, peer assessment, and ongoing specialist education. In an area of law that has changed as dramatically as Queensland criminal law has across 2025 and 2026 — with coercive control, affirmative consent, expanded youth justice adult penalties, tightened bail frameworks, and new electronic monitoring provisions all commencing within an 18-month window — the depth and currency of your legal team’s knowledge is not a secondary consideration. It determines the quality of the advice you receive, the strategy applied to your matter, and ultimately the outcome.