Opposition Senator Karina Goodridge is questioning why non-violent regulatory offences are increasingly being made punishable by imprisonment.

She said such penalties were not necessary considering that the offences to which they were attached did not involve violence or threats to public safety.

Goodridge raised her concerns yesterday during debate on the Protection of Wages Bill, 2026 and recommended “removing the custodial penalties from this bill and relying instead on meaningful financial penalties, together with the existing civil enforcement mechanism”.