He’s finally stood aside, but Gosling is still a headache for the PM

Updated August 26, 2026 — 3:40pm,first published 1:50pm

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Luke Gosling is the distraction Anthony Albanese neither needed nor wanted.

And his decision to “temporarily” step down on Wednesday from his role as special envoy for defence, veterans’ affairs and Northern Australia has come not a moment too soon.

With an increasingly cranky business community still hounding the prime minister about tax changes and workplace laws, states bickering over how to power the AI revolution and cost of living still Australians’ top concern, the government has enough on its plate without a possible byelection in Gosling’s Northern Territory seat of Solomon, which the MP held by a slender 1500 votes in 2025.

The prospect of a byelection in Solomon is real, and that would be a nightmare for the Albanese government. A loss would be read as a virtual referendum on the government and its most recent budget.

To recap: Gosling, the federal member for Solomon and former soldier, has been........

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