A teenager charged with assaulting an Uber driver with a machete in Brisbane claims she acted in self-defence.

Kiara Turner, 17, appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday after she allegedly pulled the blade on a 37-year-old Uber driver during a carjacking attempt.

Ms Turner was refused bail despite allegedly telling police the driver attacked her first, with Magistrate Jason Schubert commenting on her "appalling" criminal history.

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