Articles
Plain-English explainers on Queensland criminal law and practice, written and reviewed by Andrew George.
All articles 34
Latest · Child Exploitation Material
Can a reportable offender work in Queensland?
A reportable offender in QLD is a disqualified person under the Working with Children Check Act: no blue card, no regulated employment, offences on both sides.
News · Criminal Offences
Breach Bail, Go to Jail: Queensland’s New Bail Bill Explained
Queensland’s Breach Bail, Go to Jail Bill means a mandatory year in custody for reoffending on bail. What it does, who it catches, how the charge is run, and when it starts.
News · Traffic
Do You Need a Licence to Ride an E-Scooter in Queensland?
Yes. From 31 August 2026, e-scooter and e-bike riders in Queensland must be 16 and hold at least a learner licence. The new rules, fines and exemptions.
Criminal Offences
Centrelink Fraud in Queensland
Centrelink overpayments are usually a civil debt, not a crime. Here’s when it becomes a criminal charge under s 134.2 or s 135.2 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Sexual Offences
Online Grooming Offences in Queensland
Grooming a child under 16 is an offence under s 218B of the Criminal Code (Qld), with no sexual act required. Penalties, elements and the federal charges.
Traffic
Driving While Disqualified in Queensland: Can You Avoid Jail?
Driving while disqualified in QLD carries up to 18 months’ jail under s 78 TORUM, but prison isn’t automatic. Here’s what the court actually weighs.
Drugs
Drug Trafficking Charges in Queensland: Penalties and Thresholds
Charged with drug trafficking in Queensland? How trafficking differs from supply and possession under the Drugs Misuse Act, the real penalties, and what quantity does and doesn’t prove.
Criminal Offences
No Conviction Recorded vs a Recorded Conviction in Queensland
Whether a conviction shows on a police check in Queensland depends on whether the court recorded it under s 12 of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (Qld).
Criminal Offences
What are my rights if police want to interview me?
You don’t have to answer police questions in Queensland. Your rights to silence, a lawyer and a caution under the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act.
Sexual Offences
Charged with a Sexual Offence in Queensland: What Happens Next
Investigation, arrest or Notice to Appear, bail, committal and trial: what actually happens after a Queensland sexual offence charge, step by step.
Assaults & Violence
Breached a DVO in Queensland? What Happens Next
Charged with breaching a DVO in Queensland? What happens next: arrest, bail, court process and the maximum penalties under s 177, as at 14 July 2026.
Murder and Manslaughter
Murder vs Manslaughter in Queensland: What’s the Difference?
Murder vs manslaughter in Queensland: the s 302 legal test, mandatory vs discretionary penalties, and defences that reduce one to the other, as at 12 July 2026.
Drugs · Traffic
Can You Drive on Medicinal Cannabis in Queensland?
No. Driving with THC present is an offence in Queensland even with a valid prescription. The penalties, licence disqualifications and your options, as at 9 July 2026.
Criminal Offences
What Actually Happens at Your First Court Date in Queensland?
Your first Queensland court date is a ‘mention’: the charge is read and you plead or seek an adjournment. Here’s what actually happens, step by step.
Criminal Offences
What Is a QP9 and How Do I Get a Copy of It?
A QP9 is the police Court Brief that sets out your charge and the alleged facts in Queensland. What it contains and when you get a copy.
Assaults & Violence · News
Coercive Control Is Now a Crime in Queensland
Coercive control has been a standalone QLD offence since 26 May 2025 (s 334C Criminal Code), max 14 years. What it covers and how it differs from a DVO breach.
Blog · Criminal Offences
How Bail Works in Queensland
How bail works in Queensland: the show-cause offences, the ‘unacceptable risk’ test, and what happens if police or a court refuse bail, as at 5 July 2026.
Sexual Offences · News
Affirmative Consent in Queensland: What the Law Actually Says
Queensland moved to an affirmative consent model on 23 September 2024. What changed, how it affects mistake of fact, and which cases the new law applies to.
Assaults & Violence · Murder and Manslaughter · News
What Is Jack’s Law in Queensland?
Jack’s Law lets Queensland police scan you for a knife in public without a warrant. What it covers, and what happens if wanding leads to a charge.
Child Exploitation Material · News · Sexual Offences
Daniel’s Law: Queensland’s Public Child Sex Offender Register Explained
Daniel’s Law commenced 31 December 2025, giving the public tiered access to Queensland’s child sex offender register. How the three tiers work, and the limits.
Child Exploitation Material
Exceptional circumstances and recorded convictions in CEM cases
The Court of Appeal has recently considered exceptional circumstances in a CEM case, and whether a conviction should be recorded.
Drugs
Drug and Alcohol Diversion in Queensland
For anyone charged with drug or alcohol related offences in Queensland, drug diversion and DAAR programs can be a way to avoid convictions and safeguard your future.
Child Exploitation Material
Mandatory Minimum Sentences in Australia
The High Court of Australia has just confirmed the law with respect to mandatory minimum sentences in Australia, and how sentences should be calculated.
Child Exploitation Material
New changes to reportable offender obligations in Queensland
Queensland doubled reportable offenders’ minimum reporting periods and expanded police powers in 2023, then added a public register under Daniel’s Law in 2025.
Drugs
The Law On Medicinal Cannabis in Queensland
Medicinal cannabis is legal in Queensland with a valid prescription under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019. What doctors and patients need to know, as at 9 July 2026.
Drugs
Relaxed Drug Possession Laws in Queensland
Queensland’s ‘three strike’ police drug diversion system explained: how it works, who is eligible, and the 2026 reform that will replace it.
News
Voluntary Assisted Dying in Queensland
Voluntary assisted dying has been law in Queensland since 1 January 2023. Eligibility, the request process, and the offences that still apply.
News
Federal government granted unprecedented access to your online accounts
In a move that would fit perfectly in George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984, the Federal Government has just passed legislation which grants police access to your computer and online accounts, with power to copy, modify or delete data as they wish. Worried?
Child Exploitation Material
What does it mean to be a reportable offender in Queensland?
CPOR reporting for Queensland reportable offenders: the contact number and online portal, what you must report, for how long, and what happens if you breach.
Child Exploitation Material
Child pornography (CEM): the new offences and changes to sentencing
Recent changes to the law have led to the creation of two new offences relating to child abuse objects, as well as a tougher sentencing regime requiring exceptional circumstances to stay out of jail.
Sexual Offences
Mistake of fact: consent laws in Queensland
Is the mistake of fact defence still available in Queensland rape and sexual assault cases? Yes, but the 2021 and 2024 reforms changed it dramatically.
Criminal Offences
Can you be charged for transmitting a disease?
Transmitting a disease can be a criminal offence in Queensland, from reckless transmission under the Public Health Act to life imprisonment under s 317 of the Criminal Code.
Blog
What Is a Valid and Sufficient Excuse for Not Voting?
Being too sick to get to a polling booth can be a valid and sufficient excuse for not voting. What counts, what doesn’t, and the fine in Queensland ($172.70) and federally.
Blog
How can you represent a guilty person?
A lawyer’s paramount duty is to the court, not to decide guilt. How the Solicitors’ Conduct Rules let a Queensland lawyer defend a client who may be guilty.
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