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Gosling doesn’t need to be stood down from special envoy role, says Butler
The health minister, Mark Butler, has rejected calls for the prime minister to stand down Luke Gosling, who has been charged with assault by police against the Northern Territory administrator.
It’s important to remember what the job of special envoy is. It’s not a ministerial position. It doesn’t have any executive authority, any ability to make decisions that impact Australians, of course, as you know, if he were a minister, he would be required to stand aside.
You’re not required to stand down as a member of parliament if you’re charged. Obviously, there are some provisions around conviction, but he is really just a backbench member of parliament. He is not a member of the executive, and that is a fundamental distinction in the separation of powers.