Call for driver medical checks smacks of ageism

Credit: Badiucao

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ELDERLY DRIVERS

Acting Premier Ben Carroll looks to institute medical checks for older drivers, seeking to emulate some other states, following a fatal crash involving a 91-year-old driver (″⁣Elderly driver review flag after fatal crash″⁣, 12/7). This is an unwarranted reaction that smacks of ageism.
With regard to the driver, we have no information if she actually had a potentially causative medical condition that could have been identified by a GP, let alone if she was already under treatment for such a condition. Information about the latter would raise questions about the procedures for conditional licensing of drivers with medical conditions, which is a different issue from instituting compulsory testing of all older drivers.
Moreover, the value of medical checks of all drivers over the age of 80 has been extensively assessed and found wanting. In 2008, a study by Langford et al of Monash University Accident Research Centre compared road crashes of older drivers in NSW, which has mandatory medical checks, with road crashes by similar aged drivers in Victoria, which does not have checks, and found no difference in crash rates. This strongly questions the costs and benefits of such checks.
Such checks by a person’s GP would not be rebateable under Medicare; also they may lead to a conflict of interest for a trusted GP. Mandatory medical checks for older drivers would simply add expense and red tape with no demonstrable benefits.
Dr Bruce Hocking, Camberwell

Speeding and drink-driving are greater danger
Here we go again. Statistically, older people are among the safest drivers on the roads. It is recognised that the major cause of road fatalities (and we’ve had far too many recently) is speed and drink-driving, but the authorities never talk about mandating speed limiters or interlock devices for all cars. Then we have one incident involving an older person and immediately there is talk about introducing restrictions on the whole age group.
David Parker, Geelong West

Medical tests provide proof of ability
When I was caring for a dear elderly gentleman in his 90s who lived a distance from me, I was tipped off by the neighbours that he was backing out of his drive without looking. I arranged for him to have a driving test, which he failed. This left no doubt that his ability to drive safely was impaired.
Margaret Flynn, Carrum

Follow Queensland and NSW lead on checks
I’m an elderly Victorian now living in Queensland due to the pleasant winter climate. I totally support the Queensland policy of requiring those of us over 75 to have a yearly medical check-up – and to carry proof that we are physically and cognitively fit to drive. Through the mandatory eye test, many people learn that their vision is seriously impaired by cataracts – something easily addressed by a relatively simple operation. That certainly happened to me.
I really hope the latest tragedy results in Victoria urgently following the lead of Queensland and NSW in protecting the community from unsafe elderly drivers.
Sue Donovan, Main Beach, Qld

Dangers of tardy school pick-ups
It was to be expected that, with all the interest in the recent terrible road accident involving an elderly driver, our government would inquire into the mental acuity of elderly drivers. Recently, my wife, while riding in a bike lane, was run over by a driver who was running late to pick up her children from school. I was subsequently advised by the police that such drivers are considered to be the most dangerous on the road. Perhaps any inquiry into older drivers might also consider women drivers near schools. Especially when they are driving 4WD tanks.
Jeffrey Newman, Ivanhoe

Why pick on us?
I am an 87-year-old driver. A few years ago, I was hit in the back of our car by a truck, causing me a brain bleed. Since then, I have had to have regular medical/optical tests. I don’t drive far or fast, and on my recent driving licence renewal I was given a discount for safe driving.
Police state that there have been 164 fatal car accidents this year so far; I wonder what the ages of the drivers were? I seriously doubt they were caused by elderly drivers. I am one and I really need a car. I cannot see why the government should pick on us. Deaths caused by cars are devastating, but solving the problem should be aimed at those who cause them.
Adrian Peniston-Bird, Kew

THE FORUM

Mental health pay days
I’m fearful that the “mental health day” entitlement for Gen Xers will fall for me as well if the endemic sick leave that furnishes others’ long weekends is allowed to continue.
As a senior doctor of 30 years, I have noticed the burgeoning epidemic of junior doctor “psychological distress syndrome” that earns secondary gain sweeteners like paid mental health days that happen to bookend a weekend when not scheduled to be on duty. Furthermore, yearly sick leave accrual (and not more) is completely used up before they expire.
The can’t-be-bothered-to-turn up-at-the-hospital brigade means stressed colleagues who show up are obliged to shoulder busy 24/7 patient caseloads that won’t wait until the next shift.
Presenters become exhausted from overwork harm foisted on them by their fragile, entitled and non-resilient brethren. The dominoes will, in turn, fall as the work-focused burn out, risking joining the ranks of the habitual no-shows.
Dr Joseph Ting, Brisbane

Children as a commodity
It is astounding, but not surprising, that the regulators failed to act even though complaints were up (″⁣Childcare complaints on the rise, but watchdog is taking less action″⁣, 13/7).
We have been here before, it occurred in vocational education when private providers flooded the market, similar issues in the privatisation of aged care and now in the childcare sector.
Changing the regulatory body may enable small changes but what needs to occur is enforcing the recommendations made from the various reviews. This would include treating staff as educators with better and enforceable qualifications, improving the staffing ratio (as with nursing and aged care) minimising the casual workforce and providing better pay and conditions.
Oh, and stop treating our children as a commodity, and recognising that parents have the right to work and make appropriate choices.
Denise Stevens, St Kilda

I’m a Qantas statistic
I’m one of the 5.7 million customers affected by the Qantas cyber breach. I’ve already been through this before. My frequent flyer account was previously hacked and I lost nearly 400,000 points. When the latest breach was announced, I acted quickly to secure my account. I updated my details, then tried to change my PIN, but was locked out.
Five separate phone calls followed as I was passed between offshore agents who couldn’t escalate or assist, and told me my security answers were incorrect – despite already being logged into my account.
I asked to speak to a manager or supervisor, but none were available. At that point, I questioned if I was speaking to legitimate Qantas staff. In desperation, I called Qantas head office in Sydney and after explaining the situation I was placed on hold for 20 minutes ... then transferred straight back to the same offshore call centre in the Philippines. It wasn’t just frustrating, it was distressing. I was asked to send identity documents to a team I couldn’t verify. I was locked out, and anxious about who I could trust, or whether my data and account were safe. I was left feeling powerless and completely unsupported.
Qantas claims it is providing the “appropriate advice and support to those affected”. That’s not what I experienced. Not even close.
Lisa Wolper, South Yarra

Victimhood blank cheque
Melbourne has long prided itself on multicultural harmony, but the violent attack on the Miznon restaurant in Hardware Lane and the attempted firebombing of a historic synagogue reveal how imported conflict and moral absolutism are undermining that civic ideal.
On July 5, masked protesters stormed Miznon chanting “kill Israel” and “death to the IDF”, throwing chairs and food and breaking glass, terrifying families and children dining during school holidays.
One of the organisers, Gaye Demanuele, later told the ABC’s 7.30 program she had no regrets. When asked whether frightening diners helped her cause, she replied: “Imagine lying on a hospital bed in a tent ... Do they find the genocide objectionable?“
Much of this radicalisation is fuelled by simplified victim-oppressor narratives on social media, where complex conflicts are reduced to moral absolutes. Suffering is equated with virtue; moral responsibility is abandoned. Protest organisers, as seen in recent ABC interviews, invoked the pain of others while evading any accountability for their own actions.
This substitution of grievance for responsibility marks a dangerous collapse of ethical reasoning. Victimhood has become a moral blank cheque; violence, a permitted form of protest if aligned with the “right” cause.
What’s equally troubling is the inconsistent response from institutions. Police hesitated to act. Courts granted diversion for hate-motivated vandalism of a Jewish MP’s office. Creative Australia’s handling of the Venice Biennale – revoking, then reinstating artist Khaled Sabsabi– shows how institutions struggle under moral panic. Universities and cultural bodies too often waver under pressure.
This ambivalence emboldens extremists and undermines public trust. We must reassert the principle that empathy cannot excuse hatred, and protest must never become persecution. Institutions must act with moral clarity. Young people must learn that passion is no substitute for reason, and that freedom of expression carries responsibility.
Russell Yardley, Woodend

Privileged lobbying
We need to be careful how much agency we give to the creation of ″⁣special envoys″⁣. I was unaware that we also had a special envoy for the Muslim community. While the intent is good, we have effectively given privileged lobbying access to the government to two communities for whom their faith and their politics are inextricably linked and often at odds.
In doing this, the government has created a rod for its own back which also has the potential to drive a wedge between non-religious and religious communities if their ″⁣proposals″⁣ are not agreed to. The unintended but divisive consequences of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament being a prime example.
As a secular nation, we should be striving to ensure religious freedom, but only within the context of a continued separation of church, religion and state.
Unfortunately, the proposals from the Jewish special envoy, including denial of entry into the country of individuals and the removal of support for government-funded institutions, seems to fly in the face of this.
I feel the special envoy approach runs the risk of morphing into a politically framed religious discrimination bill by stealth.
While I am aware that “what we walk past, we accept”, I am also reminded that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Tread carefully PM.
Stephen Farrelly, Donvale

Normalising division
Your article (″⁣A city grappling with antisemitism″⁣, 13/7) makes it clear that peaceful protest is a cornerstone of democracy, but it must never be a shield for hatred or intimidation. The weekly pro-Palestine rallies in Melbourne’s CBD have, at times, crossed that line.
Chanting “death to the IDF” and ″⁣all Zionists are terrorists″⁣ doesn’t advance peace – it normalises violence and fuels division.
Australian Jews should not be vilified for supporting Israel’s right to exist.
Protest must remain protected, but so, too, must public safety and social cohesion. We can care about Palestinian lives without threatening Jewish ones.
Jennifer Stewart, South Chadstone

Freedom needs order
As a small business owner in Melbourne’s CBD, I’ve watched Sunday trade dwindle week after week due to the ongoing pro-Palestine protests. Foot traffic vanishes, tram services are suspended, and customers avoid the area.
While I respect the right to protest, why should it come at the cost of our livelihoods?
The current set-up effectively holds the CBD hostage every weekend. A permit system – as proposed by the state opposition – wouldn’t silence voices, but it would help ensure demonstrations are conducted responsibly, with consideration for local traders and the broader community.
All causes, however heartfelt, must operate within limits that uphold both freedom and order. It’s time we found a better balance.
Craig McTaggart, Frankston South

SRL questions
I wonder whether the people objecting to the Suburban Rail Loop are the same people who objected to the desalination plant. The plant is supporting water storage in and around Melbourne and saving us from drought restrictions. When the Suburban Rail Loop is built, will they notice the improved services or just take them for granted? Will they be objecting to a new infrastructure proposal by then?
Gill Riley, Doncaster East

AND ANOTHER THING

Trump world
Re Trump’s continual tariff game, and the article on the appointment of Nick Adams as US ambassador to Malaysia (12/7). It is time for him to be stood down under the 25th Amendment due to his mental incapacity to act as president of the US.
Dennis Crowley, Brighton

Thank you, America, for taking self-described ‘alpha male’ Nick Adams. Please keep this man child for good.
David Metcalfe, Newtown

The hand we are praying for? No trumps.
Lyn Beaumont, Bentleigh

Furthermore
I was overjoyed Saturday evening to see great convoy of trucks with hay for the desperately hungry livestock in the Western District. People cheered as the trucks entered Camperdown. There are more trucks next week wonderful people helping with this desperate drought.
Merle Mitchell, Mt Eliza

Re Sarah MacDonald’s article (″⁣OK Zoomers, it’s time to quit the cringe. Let’s dance″⁣, 12/7). Every Tuesday night, I head to a local hall and dance to great songs in the (almost) dark. I’m about 30 years older than most of the other dancers, but I feel so happy and energised every time.
Carolyn Brand, Pt Lonsdale

Sarah MacDonald is correct. Looking at footage of early millennium music festival performances compared with now, it’s the sea of smartphones that stands out in the latter. My best music memories are from living in the moment, rather than a recorded cypher living in the cloud. To quote the late Maxi Jazz, can’t we just all be “content in the hum”?
Michael Ilyine, Highton

How about a review of all SUV drivers?
Carol McCammon, Coburg

Finally
Is it time for us all to move on with our lives now that Erin Patterson has been convicted? The stories from all kinds of angles just still keep appearing. Please – enough!
Don Williams, South Melbourne

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