澳大利亚联邦工党议员Luke Gosling因涉嫌在7月18日北领地大泰国节上两次袭击北领地行政官David Connolly而出庭受审[1]。法院修改了Gosling的保释条件，要求其与Connolly保持至少15米的距离，并规定其办公室在双方预计参加同一活动时需提前48小时进行通知[1]。Gosling否认相关指控，并继续代表其所在选区Solomon履职，该选区今年5月以1500票的多数支持率选出Gosling[1]。
根据法律规定，若Gosling因对行政官人身攻击罪被定罪，最高可面临14年监禁的处罚[1]。此外，联邦议员若因可判处至少一年监禁的罪名被定罪并被判刑，根据《宪法》第44条款可被取消议会资格[1]。代理总理Richard Marles为政府决定不暂停Gosling的议员资格进行了辩护，表示应当维护无罪推定原则[1]。案件下次开庭日期为9月16日[1]。
Federal Labor MP Luke Gosling faced court proceedings over allegations that he assaulted Northern Territory administrator David Connolly on July 18 at the NT Grand Thai Festival [1]. The incident involved two separate assault charges, with the alleged attacks occurring approximately 30 minutes apart [1].
Darwin Local Court modified Gosling's bail conditions to require him to maintain at least 15 metres distance from Connolly, and his office must provide 48 hours' advance notice whenever both are expected to attend the same event [1]. Gosling denies the allegations and continues to represent his electorate of Solomon, which he won by 1,500 votes in May, while also serving as a government special envoy [1]. The matter is scheduled to return to court on September 16 [1].
The case carries significant political implications. A conviction for assault on an administrator could result in imprisonment of up to 14 years, and 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 [1]. Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles defended the decision not to suspend Gosling, citing the presumption of innocence [1].