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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing renewed calls to stand down Labor MP Luke Gosling from his role as special envoy after he was charged with breaching bail on Tuesday in relation to the ongoing allegations he assaulted Northern Territory Administrator David Connolly.
NT Police said in a statement they allege Gosling breached his bail conditions on Friday, August 14, and served him with a summons to appear in Darwin Local Court on September 30. Police did not specify what is alleged to have occurred.
Gosling, 54, posted a picture to Facebook at the Test match in Darwin between Australia and Bangladesh on the date of the alleged breach. It was reported by the NT News that Connolly was at the venue, but it was unclear if that is where the alleged offence occurred.
A spokeswoman for Gosling said neither he nor his office hade been made aware of the nature of the alleged breach and have been provided no information from police other than a summons.
“On Friday, August 14, Mr Gosling did not attend any events at the same time as the administrator,” she said.
“Mr Gosling is discussing the matter with his legal team, and will be defending the charge.”
The MP, who is the Albanese government’s special envoy for defence, veterans’ affairs and Northern Australia, was arrested at his home last month and charged with two counts of assaulting Connolly, with the offences carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment.
He appeared in Darwin Local Court on July 31, successfully applying to vary his bail conditions so he could attend the same public events as Connolly, provided he stayed at least 15 metres away and gave Connolly’s office 48 hours’ notice.
Judge Stephen Geary also banned him from coming within 50 metres of the NT’s Government House, where Connolly resides. The administrator is the Crown’s representative in the NT, a vice-regal role equivalent to a state governor.
Prosecutors had opposed the variation, telling the court Connolly had cancelled public engagements because of concerns about encountering Gosling and arguing the restrictions were needed for the administrator’s “safety and wellbeing”.
The alleged assaults occurred about 30 minutes between each other at the Darwin Thai Grand Festival on July 18.
It was alleged in court that Gosling approached Connolly from behind in the first incident and, in the second, collided with him before drawing back his left elbow and striking him in the upper right rib area.
Albanese has refused to stand down Gosling from his role as an envoy for veterans over the assault charges, despite calls from the Coalition. The PM’s office has declined to comment, citing an ongoing legal process.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said that the charges were already a test of the prime minister’s leadership.
“Now Mr Gosling has also been charged with allegedly breaching his bail, the case for the prime minister to act is even stronger,” Taylor said in a statement released on Tuesday night.
“These allegations are matters for the courts, but Anthony Albanese has a decision to make about who serves in his government. He should stand Mr Gosling down today.”
Gosling denies the allegations, describing them at the time as “ludicrous”. His lawyer, Marty Aust, has described the prosecution case as “incredibly weak” and accused police of politicising the matter.
Gosling has also disputed the police account of events leading to his arrest, saying he was first contacted while working in Queensland and that his office had been trying to arrange a meeting with detectives.
NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said detectives had made multiple attempts to contact him before the arrest.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions is preparing to take over the assault case from the NT DPP, which cited a perceived conflict of interest.
It was reported by ABC Darwin the conflict relates to concerns about how the acting NT DPP’s handling of the case could be perceived given the prospect of a permanent appointment to the role.
Under section 44 of the Constitution, a federal MP convicted and sentenced for an offence punishable by at least one year’s imprisonment can be disqualified from parliament, meaning any conviction could trigger a byelection.
He has held the seat of Solomon – which includes Darwin and its satellite city of Palmerston – since 2016. He held off a threat from the Country Liberals by just 1500 votes in May last year.
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Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.From our partners
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