Federal MP Luke Gosling has been charged by NT Police in relation to the alleged assault of NT Administrator David Connolly at a Thai festival in Darwin on 18 July.
Police said they began investigating the matter last week before arresting Gosling on Thursday morning.
He has been released on bail to face court in September.
Gosling, who previously denied the allegations as “ridiculous”, said he is “cooperating fully” with police inquiries.
Here’s what happened.
Administrator
Australia’s head of state is the Governor-General, who acts as the King’s non-partisan representative.
Each state has a Governor, who performs a similar role.
In the NT and some of Australia’s external territories, the role is called an Administrator.
Their responsibilities include signing bills into law, honouring citizens with awards such as the Order of Australia, and officiating at ceremonies.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro appointed David Connolly as Administrator in December.
Connolly
Connolly was sworn in as Administrator in February.
Outside the ceremony, around 100 people, including federal and Territory MPs, protested his appointment, chanting: “Not my Administrator.”
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The protests followed the resurfacing of Connolly’s now-deleted social media posts, including one that said: “Non-Indigenous have to wait on the system, the Indigenous are fast-tracked, and paid for.”
Connolly later apologised, saying he “never intended to cause offence.”
Gosling had previously described the posts as “reprehensible and offensive” when Connolly’s appointment was announced.
Incident
NT Police began investigating Federal Labor MP Luke Gosling last week.
Gosling, who has held the Darwin-based seat of Solomon since 2016, represents one of the NT’s two federal electorates, covering almost all of Darwin and Palmerston.
On Thursday, police arrested and charged Gosling in relation to the alleged assault of Connolly at a public event on 18 July.
The pair attended Darwin’s Thailand Grand Festival, sponsored by the NT Government and Gosling’s electorate office.
Response
In a statement shared with TDA, Gosling said: “I am cooperating fully with [NT Police’s] inquiries.”
Before his arrest, Gosling denied the allegations, calling them “ridiculous”.
He added he has “had no dealings” with Connolly “since congratulating him following the announcement of his appointment late last year.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office told TDA that “there is a legal process underway” and “it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Gosling was released on bail and will face court on 1 September.
