Luke Gosling, the federal Labor member of parliament for the Northern Territory seat of Solomon, has been charged with two counts of assault following an alleged incident involving the NT's administrator, David Connolly. NT Police arrested Gosling, 54, on Thursday morning and bailed him to appear before Darwin Local Court on 1 September. His lawyer described the charges as "completely and utterly denied" and said they would be contested.
The alleged assault is said to have taken place on 18 July at a Thai cultural gathering held at or near Connolly's official residence in Darwin, the territory's capital. Connolly serves as the administrator of the Northern Territory — a position roughly equivalent to a state governor, representing the Crown in the territory. Gosling, a former army commando first elected to parliament in 2016, currently serves as the federal government's special envoy for defence, veterans' affairs and northern Australia. When the initial reports emerged, Gosling strongly denied any altercation, calling the allegations "ridiculous" and stating he had had no dealings with Connolly since congratulating him on his appointment late last year.
Gosling's barrister, Marty Aust, raised procedural concerns alongside the denial, arguing it was "particularly concerning" that police had chosen to arrest Gosling rather than use a summons or notice to appear. Aust also suggested there was "a real concern that there's a degree of politicisation in relation to how this matter's being handled". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to comment beyond noting that "there is a legal process under way" and that further comment would be inappropriate.
The case carries a political backdrop. Gosling and other federal Labor colleagues from the NT had previously been openly critical of Connolly's appointment by the NT's Country Liberal Party government, with Connolly having faced accusations of offensive and racist social media posts and criticism of the Albanese government. Opposition figures moved quickly to call for consequences. Liberal senator James Paterson, the shadow minister for defence, called on Albanese to immediately stand Gosling down from his envoy role, arguing that "an arrest for assault requires him to immediately stand down from his duties." NT senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price echoed the call, describing the arrest as "a deeply concerning development" while cautioning against prejudging the outcome.
Gosling has said he is cooperating fully with police inquiries. The matter will now proceed through the courts, with the first hearing scheduled for early September. As with all criminal proceedings, Gosling is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven otherwise.