Right: Most Australian states have laws and / or rules that can restrict, or even cancel, an elderly person's right to drive a car.
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Background information
(Some of the following background information is drawn from the New South Wales Transport Roads and Marine Services Internet page. The full information can be accessed at http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/olderdriver_changes.html Other information has been drawn from http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/olderdriver_changes.htmlhttp://abcdiamond.com.au/annual-driving-tests-for-the-elderly/ and from a New South Wales parliamentary review of laws relating to elderly drivers accessed at http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/olderdriver_changes.htmlhttp://abcdiamond.com.au/annual-driving-tests-for-the-elderly/http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/publications.nsf/0/EFE9D4AB5C456905CA257376000D7777/$File/Older%20drivers%20final%20&%20INDEX.pdf)
As of May 2012, the following requirements will apply in the different Australian states and territories.
A medical test can be applied where there is considered to be cause (irrespective of the driver's age) in both Victoria and the Northern Territory. Where there is considered cause, a driving test can be required (irrespective of the driver's age) in Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
Elderly drivers in Victoria may have restricted licences imposed upon them if they come to the attention of the authorities either as the result of an accident or traffic violation or the notification of someone else. Drivers over 75 are issued with a maximum three-year licence before they have to apply again for renewal.
In South Australia, a compulsory medical test is applied to all drivers over 70. This test is then applied annually.
In New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Tasmania a compulsory medical test is applied to all drivers over 75. In New South Wales this is applied annually. In Queensland the test is valid for five years. The Tasmanian test will no longer be given after 2014.
In Western Australia a compulsory medical test is applied to all drivers over 85. (The former compulsory tests at 75 and 78 are in the process of being abolished.)
In New South Wales and Western Australia all drivers over 85 undergo a driving test. In New South Wales these tests are applied every two years. For a charge, New South Wales drivers may complete this test in their own homes.
In New South Wales, drivers over 85 may also request a modified licence, for example, they may wish to be exempted from driving over long distances or driving at night. No test is required for a modified licence and the driver is then exempted from subsequent driving tests.