The Pursuit of Clarity, Precision and Unambiguity in Drafting Retrospective Legislation

This dissertation suggests that clarity, precision and unambiguity are the essential tools for expressing retrospective intent, which is a pre-requisite for quality and validity of retrospective legislation. The author analyses common arguments against retrospectivity and goes on to show that retrospective laws are valid, if the retrospective intent is expressed in clear, precise and unambiguous words within the statute. The importance of plain language and Gender-Neutral drafting is demonstrated.