00:02Well, there were some variations to Luke Gosling's bail conditions that have applied in court
00:07this afternoon. Notably, as you said, he now has to stay 50 metres clear of Northern Territory
00:12Government House. He has to give 48 hours notice to the Northern Territory Administrator's
00:17office if he is to attend a public event where both men will likely be. And if they do show
00:22up to the same event at the same time, Mr Gosling has to stay 15 metres clear of Mr
00:27Connolly at all times. Now, in addition to those variations to his bail conditions, we
00:32also heard some fascinating details about these allegations. During his deliberation,
00:37Judge Stephen Geary noted that the two alleged incidents are said to have occurred 30 minutes
00:42apart. So although they happened on the same day at the same event, they weren't one isolated
00:47incident. Now, in response to that, Mr Gosling's lawyer, Marty Ost, downplayed the legitimacy
00:52of these allegations entirely, saying that they were incredibly weak. In his own words,
00:58he said, notwithstanding the numerous people that were there, the CCTV footage that was there,
01:03there is not one piece of corroboration with respect to the event, not one independent witness.
01:08Now, I think that quote very much summarises the tone with which Marty Ost and Luke Gosling
01:13have approached these allegations. They've steadfastly denied them, maintained Luke Gosling's innocence,
01:18and have said that they're going to contest the charges. Here's what Luke Gosling himself
01:22had to say outside of court this afternoon.
01:24I obviously really welcome the decision of the judge to allow me to get out and to do
01:30my job that I was elected to do, to represent the people of Darwin and Palmerston. On the
01:37way in, someone yelled out a question about whether I'd spoken with the Prime Minister yet.
01:42I have spoken with the Prime Minister, and just being clear that I'm going to contest these
01:48allegations, and that I will continue to serve.
01:53Joseph, how is this all going down in the Northern Territory?
01:58Well, interestingly, Lorna, the local reaction has been somewhat distinct from the federal reaction.
02:02While the federal discourse has been largely dominated by opposition figures, such as leader
02:06of the opposition Angus Taylor, or Senator James Patterson, Senator Jacinta Price, putting
02:10a limelight on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying that he must stand Mr Gosling down from his
02:15responsibilities as a special envoy and saying this is a test of leadership, the local reaction
02:20has been much more about the nature of these allegations and the nature of these charges.
02:24From the outset, Mahdi Ost said that these charges had been somewhat politicised, while
02:29Luke Gosling has raised concerns about the lack of notice that the police gave him before
02:33showing up at his house and using their powers of arrest to bring him in.
02:37Now, the important context for our interstate viewers here is that when Northern Territory Administrator
02:41David Connolly was appointed to his position earlier this year, a vice regal position, essentially
02:46equivalent to that of a state governor, it was quite controversial.
02:49There were some social media posts David Connolly had made since deleted, which drew quite a
02:54lot of backlash, posts which were slammed as racist and denigrating of women, which led many
02:59people to question that appointment.
03:00Luke Gosling was one of three quite senior Labor members who was quite vocal and critical of
03:06that appointment by the country Liberal Party government here in the Northern Territory.
03:09Now, so that's the background as to why there is this discussion about these charges being
03:15somewhat politicised.
03:16Of course, the local government here, the country Liberal Party government, has essentially
03:20rubbished those claims and said that that's a slight on the local police force.
03:23Here's what Northern Territory Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley had to say about it today.
03:29Look, I outright reject that and I think that the police do a great job and there's no way
03:35that the government would get involved in active police investigation.
03:39It's an insult to the police who suggest that.
03:41The police are an independent body.
03:43They do a great job.
03:44They protect the territory.
03:46They protect Territorians.
03:47And I think that's an insult to suggest that.
03:50Now, Chief Minister Leah Finocchiaro has essentially echoed those claims, saying she wasn't given
03:54any foresight by the police before the arrests were made.
03:56Anyway, now all the attention is going to be on Luke Gosling's next court appearance,
04:00which is on the 30th of September.
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