The law is changing — 1 December 2026
Drink drug driving — Queensland's new combined offence
From 1 December 2026, driving over the alcohol limit with a relevant drug also in your system becomes a single, more serious combined offence under the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026 — with higher penalties than either charge alone, and no work licence available. Here’s what changes, and what to do if you’re charged.
What's changing
One reading, one swab — one much bigger charge
Today, a driver over the alcohol limit who also returns a positive roadside drug test faces two separate charges. From 1 December 2026 that becomes a single combined drink-and-drug driving offence — treated more seriously than either on its own.
The combined offence. Driving over the applicable alcohol limit while a relevant drug (THC, methylamphetamine, MDMA or cocaine) is present in your saliva or blood becomes one aggravated offence, not two separate ones.
Higher penalties. Maximum fines and disqualification periods sit above the equivalent single-charge penalties — exact figures to be confirmed against the enacted Act. [VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISH]
No work licence. Unlike a low-range drink driving or drug-presence charge on its own, a section 87 work licence is not available for the combined offence — if convicted, you are off the road for the full disqualification.
Interlock and program conditions. Expect alcohol ignition interlock requirements and program conditions to apply on relicensing, as they do now for serious drink driving. [VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISH]
If you're charged
What to do — before and after 1 December 2026
01
Check which law applies
The offence date decides it. Charged before 1 December 2026? The current separate charges — and a work licence — may still be open to you.
02
Get advice before court
With no work licence available for the combined offence, preparation and submissions are the only lever on the disqualification length. Start early.
03
Don't guess — call
Free advice on 1300 952 255, 7am–7pm, 7 days. We’ll tell you exactly which offence you’re facing and what’s realistically achievable.
The honest picture
Why the combined offence is more serious than either charge alone
Right now, a driver over the alcohol limit who also returns a positive roadside drug test faces two separate charges, each sentenced on its own footing — and, for the lower-range alcohol reading, a work licence is often available. From 1 December 2026 that changes. The two are rolled into a single aggravated offence that Parliament has deliberately set above the level of either charge on its own.
The single most important consequence is this: no work licence is available for the combined offence. A conviction means you are off the road for the entire disqualification, with no ability to drive for work in the meantime. That is the reason this page exists — so that anyone whose driving happened before the change understands what is still open to them, and anyone facing the new offence understands what preparation can and cannot do.
The change also matters for timing. Because the offence date — not the court date — decides which law applies, two drivers charged over the same weekend can end up in very different positions if one was stopped on 30 November and the other on 1 December. If your driving happened before the commencement date, the older separate charges still govern your matter, and the work licence that goes with a lower-range drink driving charge may still be available. The moment you are unsure which side of the line you fall on, that is the moment to call — before you plead to anything.
One combined charge
Over the alcohol limit with a relevant drug present becomes a single aggravated offence — not two charges sentenced separately.
Higher penalties
Longer disqualifications and higher maximum fines than either charge alone, with interlock and program conditions on relicensing.[VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISH]
No work licence
Unlike a low-range drink driving charge, the combined offence carries no section 87 restricted licence. A conviction means the full disqualification.
Penalties at a glance
What the new offence is expected to carry
Every figure below is drawn from the amending Act and is flagged for a lawyer to confirm against the enacted legislation before you rely on it.
Disqualification. Longer than the equivalent single drink or drug driving charge; the exact minimum and maximum are set by the amending Act. [VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISH]
Maximum fine. Set above the single-charge maximum, expressed in penalty units (currently $172.70 per unit). [VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISH]
Interlock & programs. Alcohol ignition interlock and program conditions are expected to apply on relicensing, as they do for serious drink driving now. [VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISH]
No work licence. Confirmed in the framing of the new offence — a restricted work licence is not available. [VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISH]
How we help
What we actually do on a combined-offence charge
Check which law applies
The offence date decides whether you face the new combined offence or the old separate charges. We work that out first — because it determines whether a work licence is even possible.
Read the brief
We obtain the QP9 and the certificates, check how the alcohol reading and the drug analysis were taken, and look for anything that affects the charge or the facts.
Build the mitigation
Where a conviction is unavoidable, preparation is the only lever on the disqualification length — a program, references and medical or counselling material where relevant.
Speak for you in court
Your lawyer makes the submissions and puts your story to a magistrate they appear before regularly, aiming for the shortest disqualification the law allows.
Meet the founder
Steven Brough — reading the law changes so you don't have to
Steven founded the firm in 2010 and has spent more than 25 years in Queensland Magistrates Courts. Traffic law is all the firm does, which is why we track changes like the December 2026 combined offence closely — the difference between the old and new law is, for many drivers, the difference between keeping a work licence and losing the road entirely.
His approach on every one of these matters is the same: work out exactly which law applies to your date of offence, prepare early, and put your story properly to the bench.
When you ring
A real person, straight away — 7am to 7pm, 7 days
Call 1300 952 255 and Belinda or Sara answers. They take a few details, note your date of offence — the fact that decides which law applies — and book one of our lawyers to call you back, usually within about 15 minutes in office hours. That first call is free and there's no pressure.
You'll come away knowing whether you're facing the combined offence or the old separate charges, whether a work licence is possible, and what a plea will realistically involve.
What happens in court
How a combined-offence plea runs
The matter is heard in the Magistrates Court named on your notice. On the day, your material is already filed, your lawyer speaks to the prosecutor about the facts, and when your name is called the charge is read and you plead. Your lawyer then makes submissions on penalty — your record, the circumstances, and the steps you've taken — to keep the disqualification as short as the law allows. Because no work licence is available, that submission is the whole game, which is why the preparation beforehand matters so much.
Plain-English glossary
The words you'll hear, explained
Combined offence
The new single charge (from 1 December 2026) for driving over the alcohol limit with a relevant drug also present.
Relevant drug
THC, methylamphetamine, MDMA or cocaine — the drugs tested by roadside swab and laboratory analysis.
Disqualification
The period a court orders you off the road. For the combined offence, no work licence runs during it.
Interlock
An alcohol ignition interlock device fitted to your car as a condition of relicensing after serious alcohol offences.
FAQ
Combined drink and drug driving, answered
When does the combined drink and drug driving offence start?
The combined offence commences on 1 December 2026 under the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026. It applies to driving on or after that date. If you were charged before 1 December 2026, the existing separate drink driving and drug driving charges apply to your matter — and a work licence may still be open to you.
Is a work licence available for the combined offence?
No. Unlike a low-range drink driving charge or a relevant-drug-present charge on its own, a section 87 work licence is not available for the new combined offence. If you are convicted, you are off the road for the whole disqualification — which is why getting advice before December, if your driving happened before the change, matters so much.
What are the penalties for combined drink and drug driving?
The combined offence carries higher maximum fines and longer disqualification periods than either charge on its own, with alcohol ignition interlock and program conditions expected on relicensing. Exact figures are being confirmed against the enacted Act — we flag them [VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISH] until a lawyer has checked them against the final legislation.
Which drugs count for the drug part of the offence?
The relevant drugs tested at the roadside are THC (cannabis), methylamphetamine and MDMA, with cocaine also tested by laboratory analysis. Having any of these present in your saliva or blood while also over the alcohol limit is what triggers the combined offence.
What should I do if I’m charged?
Call us before your court date on 1300 952 255. The first thing we do is check your offence date — because whether the old separate charges or the new combined offence applies changes everything, including whether a work licence is possible. From there we prepare your matter to keep the disqualification as short as the law allows.
How much does it cost?
Our fixed fee for a drink or drug driving plea starts at $2,750, quoted in full before you commit. We’ll confirm the exact fee for your matter on the first call — no hourly billing and no surprises.
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Ask the Driving Law assistant
Not sure which law applies to you? Ask us.
Whether you face the new combined offence or the old separate charges comes down to your date of offence. The fastest way to a straight answer is a free call: 1300 952 255, 7am–7pm, 7 days.
General information only, not legal advice — and note this page describes a law that changes on 1 December 2026. Confirm your situation with a lawyer before acting.
Keep reading: our Queensland drink driving guide · our Queensland drug driving guide · work licences
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