NT Police Commissioner calls Luke Gosling's lawyer's politicisation claim 'offensive'

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole says a claim from Luke Gosling's lawyer that the MP's arrest was politicised is "offensive" and part of his defence team's "strategy".

Mr Gosling, the Member for Solomon and federal Labor's special envoy for defence, veterans' affairs and northern Australia, was last Thursday arrested and charged with assaulting NT Administrator David Connolly.

The NT administrator is the Crown's representative in the NT, with the position equivalent to a state governor.

According to a hearing in the Darwin Local Court on Friday, the charges relate to two separate incidents 30 minutes apart at the NT Thailand Grand Festival on July 18, including one in which Mr Gosling allegedly elbowed Mr Connolly.

Mr Gosling has strenuously denied the charges, with his lawyer Marty Aust SC telling the court there is no CCTV or independent witnesses.

Politicisation claim followed arrest

After Mr Gosling's arrest on Thursday, Mr Aust claimed there was a "real concern there's a degree of politicisation in relation to how this matter is being handled".

But speaking on Darwin radio station Mix 104.9 this morning, NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said Mr Aust's claim was "offensive".

"Quite frankly I'm sick of the attacking of the integrity of members of our police force," he said.

NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has said her office had no involvement in Mr Gosling's arrest and that "conspiracy theories" about politicisation were "completely untrue".

Contact timeline in question

Mr Gosling has said he was first contacted by police via a phone message last Wednesday afternoon while he was working in Queensland, before he was arrested on Thursday morning.

He also said his office had been "working to establish a meeting" with police.

Last week, an NT Police spokesperson said officers had made "multiple attempts via phone and/or email to contact Mr Gosling in the days before his arrest".

Commissioner Dole today reaffirmed the NT Police Force's position that they had attempted to contact Mr Gosling "on multiple occasions".

"I refute the allegation that we didn't make attempts to contact him until the day before," he said.

Mr Gosling did not respond to requests for comment from the ABC today.

No DPP advice before arrest

The NT Director of Public Prosecutions (NT DPP) yesterday confirmed Mr Gosling's matter had been referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions "to avoid any perceived conflict of interest".

"Immediately upon receiving the brief, the NT DPP determined that it should not have conduct of the matter and that the matter should be referred to another jurisdiction to avoid any perceived conflict of interest," a spokesperson said.

Today, the NT DPP confirmed it did not provide any advice to police before Mr Gosling was arrested.

Under the NT Criminal Code, police do not need the NT DPP's advice before charging someone with an assault of the administrator.

Gosling 'important source of advice', defence minister says

Mr Gosling has not stood down from his special envoy role, despite calls from the opposition to do so.

Last Sunday, Health Minister Mark Butler said the envoy role was not a ministerial position and therefore Mr Gosling did not need to step down.

"It doesn't have any executive authority, any ability to make decisions that impact Australians," he said.

Asked in Darwin today whether he took advice from Mr Gosling, Defence Minister Richard Marles said the special envoy had been "a really important source of advice" for him.

"Special envoys are not ministers. They're not sworn into the executive, but they do play a really important role in the work of the government and Luke, as the special envoy for defence, has played a really important role in this portfolio," he said.

Mr Gosling's matter is due to return to court on September 1.