Federal prosecutors decline to take on Luke Gosling assault charges

NT prosecutors considering alternatives after Commonwealth declines to take on Luke Gosling assault chargesPosted Thu 27 Aug 2026 at 6:20pmThu 27 Aug 2026 at 6:20pmLuke Gosling has denied any wrongdoing after police charged him with assaulting NT Administrator David Connolly last month. (ABC News: Matilda Colling)In short: The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has declined to take on the case against federal politician Luke Gosling, who police allege assaulted Northern Territory Administrator David Connolly last month.NT prosecutors have previously said they cannot take carriage of the case because of a perceived conflict of interest and are now "considering alternative arrangements".What's next? Mr Gosling is due to return to court on September 30. Commonwealth prosecutors have ruled out taking over the case against federal Labor MP Luke Gosling after the member for Solomon allegedly assaulted Northern Territory Administrator David Connolly last month, throwing the future of the prosecution into doubt.Mr Gosling is facing two charges over allegations he assaulted Mr Connolly at the NT Thai Grand Festival in Darwin on July 18, which a court has previously heard involved claims he struck him with his elbow. Mr Gosling has categorically denied all the allegations against him and said he would contest the charges in court.Earlier this month, the NT Director of Public Prosecutions (NT DPP) referred the case to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.NT Administrator David Connolly was sworn into the role in February, five months before the alleged assault. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)But in a potential setback, the CDPP has now advised it "would not be able to take carriage of the prosecution".In response to questions from the ABC, a spokesperson for the CDPP said it initially advised the NT DPP that it was "likely to be able to take carriage of the matter, however needed to seek advice on how it would do so"."After considering the powers in the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1983 (Cth) under which the director can conduct a state or territory prosecution request, it was determined that the CDPP would not be able to take carriage of the prosecution," the spokesperson said. On Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson from the NT DPP said it would now need to find an alternative."The NT DPP remains of the view that it should not have conduct of the matter and is currently considering alternative arrangements for the conduct of the prosecution," the spokesperson said.Earlier this week, less than a month after he was arrested, Mr Gosling was charged with breaching his bail conditions. He has since stepped down from his role as special envoy for defence, veterans' affairs and Northern Australia following sustained pressure from the federal opposition, including Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson and NT senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Mr Gosling declined to comment while the case remains before the court, with the next mention set down for September 30.