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”.
She noted that the bill “introduces imprisonment for a number of regulatory breaches”. “This reflects a worrying trend for me because we observe it across some of the bills before the Senate. Increasingly non-violent regulatory offences are being made punishable by imprisonment,” Goodridge observed.
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What makes them “independent” when they are literally put in their job by a President who was part of a political party themselves?
They were appointed by the President on behalf of the opposition parties. They have no obligation to him nor to the ruling party.