Yes, you can be charged even if you did not know your licence was suspended in Victoria. Not knowing is not an automatic excuse, but an honest and reasonable belief that you were entitled to drive can be a defence, depending on the notice you received and the facts.
Self-defence is a complete defence to assault in Victoria. Under section 322K of the Crimes Act 1958, you are not guilty if you believed your conduct was necessary and it was a reasonable response in the circumstances as you saw them. The prosecution must disprove it.
Using a mobile phone illegally while driving in Victoria carries a $627 fine and 4 demerit points, under the Road Safety Road Rules 2017. Learner and P-plate drivers cannot use a phone at all, and detection cameras now enforce the rules automatically.
Driving when you have never held a licence is an offence under section 18 of the Road Safety Act 1986, carrying up to 60 penalty units or 6 months imprisonment. That is far more than the penalty for an expired licence, and the court can also delay when you may apply for a licence.
Victoria has no single offence called “assault with a weapon.” A weapon instead escalates the charge, lifting an assault from a minor summary matter to a serious indictable offence, and where a weapon is used to cause serious injury the maximum reaches 20 years with a statutory minimum term.
