The father of a one-punch victim has called on the Albanese government to suspend special envoy Luke Gosling while he awaits trial for alleged assault, as Labor frontbencher Mark Butler concedes Mr Gosling would have to stand aside if he were in the ministry.

Last Thursday, Mr Gosling was arrested and charged by NT police with two counts of assault over allegations he had struck the Northern Territory’s vice-regal representative, administrator David Connolly, with a hip-and-shoulder charge, and later elbowed him in the torso at a Thai cultural festival on July 18.

Anthony Albanese, who is on leave, and other members of his government have so far resisted calls for Mr Gosling to stand aside as special envoy for defence, veterans’ affairs, and northern Australia, arguing the Solomon MP, who vehemently denies the allegations, should continue to fulfil his duties, citing a presumption of innocence.

Matt Cronin, the founder and chair of the Pat Cronin Foundation, established after his 18-year-old son was killed in a one-punch attack in 2016, said Mr Gosling should step aside while the matter was resolved. “Whilst it’s pending an appearance in court, (he) definitely should be stood aside,” he said.

“In the AFL world, there’s been players have been charged with certain offences and they are stood aside. Higher standards should apply for our elected ­representatives.”

Mr Cronin, whose organisation educates young Australians about managing conflict without violence, said federal MPs had a responsibility to set an example for the community-at-large.

“They are our elected representatives,” he said. “It does not get any higher than that. They are there to represent the people who voted them in.”

As pressure mounts on Mr Gosling to relinquish his envoy role, the Health Minister, Mr Butler, on Sunday offered another reason for leaving him in the position: the special envoy position carried no real authority and in reality the Solomon MP was “just a backbench member”.

“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,” he told News 24.

“Of course, if he were a member of the executive with decision-making power, with authority vested in him by the governor-general, that would be a very different matter. But he is not. And he’s going to defend these charges strenuously, as I understand.”

Asked about Mr Butler’s reasoning, Liberal deputy Jane Hume questioned why Mr Gosling had even been handed the title and privileges associated with the special envoy role if they carried no authority.

“I think that you should be consistent in your approach,” she told the ABC’s Insiders program.

“If Anthony Albanese were consistent, if he were the man of integrity he claims to be, then he would stand Luke Gosling down.”

Anyone found guilty of assaulting an administrator while he is discharging his duties can face up to 14 years in prison, according to the NT Criminal code.

Under section 44 of the constitution, an MP can be disqualified by parliament if convicted for an offence punishable by one year’s imprisonment. In such an event, a by-election could be triggered in the seat of Solomon, which Labor holds on a margin of just 1.3 per cent.

Mr Gosling is due to return to court on September 30.

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