Home / Glossary Term / retrospective law

retrospective law

A law that applies to something that happened in the past. For example, a law passed in 2012 that put a tax on car sales in 2011 would be a retrospective law.

Other news

February 25, 2026
The Prison Law Handbook is now available from within prison
Read article ›
February 16, 2026
The 2025/2026 Law Handbook is available now
Read article ›
December 24, 2025
A message from the CEO – December 2025
Read post ›
December 4, 2025
Parliamentary Inquiry calls Government to stop public housing demolition and provide more evidence
Read post ›
View all news ›
Fitzroy Office
Address

Fitzroy Town Hall,
Level 4, 201 Napier Street
Fitzroy 3065
Get Directions
Reservoir Office
Address

279 Spring Street,
Reservoir 3073
Get Directions
Join our mailing list to receive updates
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails

The Fitzroy Legal Service is located on the traditional country of the Wurundjeri-willam people of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Fitzroy Legal Service is a proudly inclusive organisation and an ally of the LGBTIQA+ community.

Thank you to the Department of Justice and Community Safety, Victoria for its generous support of the Law Handbook website redevelopment project.

For more information on how we collect, store, or use your information, please visit our privacy policy

For Feedback, Complaints, and compliments, please visit our Feedback information page.

All historical photography by John Corker.

Fitzroy Legal Service Inc. (a merger of Darebin Community Legal Centre and Fitzroy Legal Service).
In partnership with Portable