Solomon MP Luke Gosling reflects on proud moments and hopes for NT future ahead of 2025 federal election
Labor’s Luke Gosling reflects on his nine years as member for Solomon, his hopes for another term, and Albo’s promise of a promotion if he wins this weekend.
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Luke Gosling’s strong record on defence has helped secure his place as federal member for Darwin as a garrison city – but his battle to win a fourth term will test how well the Army veteran has managed to cut through on other issues important to Territorians.
A win on Saturday would also spotlight Mr Gosling’s influence with his Canberra Labor colleagues – having been promised an assistant ministerial role after nine years as Solomon MP, he said.
“I’m really happy with the support I have from the Prime Minister, and he’s certainly indicated to me that he sees me in an (assistant) ministerial position after this election,” Mr Gosling told the NT News.
“With his support, that will be the most representation that the Northern Territory has ever had in the ministry, which would be a great result.
“Obviously, I’m capable of being a Cabinet minister, and should I have the support of my colleagues, then I look forward to making sure the Territory is even more so at the table when the big decisions are made.”
Mr Gosling joined the Australian Defence Force out of high school and spent 13 years in roles including the Parachute Infantry, Commandos, and the Territory’s own Norforce.
To the casual observer, it is his advocacy for defence and security issues that stand out in Mr Gosling’s political record.
Ask him, and Mr Gosling says his focus is on developing infrastructure – and defence infrastructure in particular – as a key to unlocking economic and social development in the Top End.
“For many decades, people have talked about the potential of the north,” Mr Gosling said.
“We now have the opportunity, with serious federal government investment, to realise that potential – bringing the (Port of Darwin) back into Australian hands, investments into roads, into critical minerals, into renewables.”
“We will make the absolute most of a second term Albanese government … not only with cost of living support for all Territorians, but billions and billions of dollars of infrastructure that will power us forward so that we take our rightful place here as a hub for the north of Australia, and also a hub for the region – from a trade perspective, and from a defence and national security perspective.”
Mr Gosling also returns to the need for infrastructure investment when talking about crime.
He said he was “ready and willing to assist” the Northern Territory government to improve community safety.
“Every level of government has responsibilities, we need to work together, and I’m committed to doing that,” he said.
“Enforcement is one thing, but making our communities safer requires a range of preventive and diversion options … the federal government has responsibilities when it comes to infrastructure that will make a difference in breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty, intergenerational unemployment, welfare dependency.
“Various (Territory) governments have said they’ve got diversion programs, but we need to do more, which is why I committed to and got funding for a youth engagement hub in the northern suburbs … unfortunately under the current CLP government that’s going nowhere.”
Mr Gosling won his seat in 2016 amid a strong swing against the Country Liberals, in part thanks to voters’ turn against the then Territory CLP government.
It is a phenomenon that could come back to bite this election, with Territory Labor’s widespread unpopularity (largely credited to the party’s handling of law and order) at the recent NT election expected to bleed into the federal result.
Mr Gosling downplayed the concerns, saying Territorians were “pretty savvy when it comes to their choices”.
“There’s awareness that the Prime Minister has got cost of living as a main agenda item … delivering tax cuts, stronger Medicare, fully funded public schools and fee-free TAFE,” he said.
“On international relationships, we’re a stable, mature, sensible government, and I think a place so interconnected with the Indo-Pacific Region as the Top End sees that as an advantage.
“If we have the coalition at the federal level and the CLP at the Territory level, there are also no checks and balances for stupid policy.”
Examples of stupidity, he said, being the lease of Darwin Port to a Chinese owned company, the Royal Commission into Youth Detention that “went nowhere and didn’t fix any of the issues”, and Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan.
“There’s absolutely nothing in nuclear for us, except for Territorians paying for nuclear and not getting any power out of it,” he said.
Mr Gosling was proud of many things from his time in parliament: helping secure a PET scanner for the hospital; federal funding for the long delayed ship lift; the Darwin City Deal; changes to defence contracting to allow more local companies to benefit; the best Designated Area Migration Agreement in the country; and Albanese’s promise to return the port to Australian hands.
He said one success that stayed with him was lobbying the Morrison government to announce a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
“I kept pushing, by working with the families who had lost their sons and daughters, and just never stopping the pressure when they tried to placate veterans and their families,” he said.
“Seeing those recommendations be implemented, be successful.
“That was a big achievement.”
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