Mr ELFERINK - 2000-06-13
The minister had previously informed the Assembly of benefits for the Territory in hosting the first Australian leg of the Olympic Torch Relay, estimating the event would generate up to $30m in exposure for the Northern Territory. Having represented the Northern Territory at torch events in Central Australia last week, can the minister inform honourable members of the international interest in the Territory, generated by the Torch Relay?
Mr Toyne: It is not about money minding; it is about the Olympic spirit.
ANSWER
Well, I did not see you basking in too much of the Olympic spirit, but I know that ...
Mr Toyne: What are you talking about?
Mr REED: I know you participated ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: There you go, Mr Speaker, that attracted a bit of a response, didn’t it?
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: And what were you doing? Where were you asleep at the time? The member for Nhulunbuy - seems he was, he is not responding.
The honourable member for Macdonnell has asked a question and it is a wise one. You might well have asked yourself what benefits did derive to the Northern Territory, if you were so keen - if the member for Stuart was so keen on these matters, rather than interrupting the answer that would be given to the honourable member for Macdonnell.
I can say that the arrival on Australian soil at Uluru of the Olympic flame did create world headlines. There was an enormous amount of international and national media interest. Honourable members, apart from the member for Stuart, might be interested to learn of what that interest encompassed.
In the United States alone, there were 141 television news items of the arrival of the torch at Ayers Rock on Thursday night last. On the overseas tourist front, our offices - that is the Australian Tourist Commission and Northern Territory Tourist Commission - report the coverage which led TV news bulletins and featured in major newspapers and radio broadcasts has been very positive. As well as the coverage - you are still not interested, the honourable member for Stuart, I notice ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr REED: ...it is a great shame.
As well as the coverage on the major US networks of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, BBC news included a live cross from the Rock, as did the major French TV station, France 2. Britain’s ITV featured the torch arrival eight times during its 2 hour prime time breakfast program. Newspaper coverage was also strong and there was also great interest in the region with the torch arrival featuring in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Credit is due to all involved especially the traditional owners who were eager to present their culture to the world.
The torch relay was preceded by a sports carnival at Mutijulu for the week preceding the arrival of the torch and the honourable member for Macdonnell presented a cheque on behalf of the Northern Territory government to the value of $6000 to contribute to the cost of bringing school children from throughout the region to Mutijulu to participate in those games leading up to the Olympic torch arrival. They were very successful, very well received and were able to ensure that schools in the region were able to participate in what will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those kids. I would have thought the good member for Stuart would have been a bit more appreciative of that sort of effort.
The Northern Territory Tourist Commission and the Australian Tourist Commission developed programs for members of the international media in conjunction with Territory tour operators. I thank Territory tour operators and those two agencies for the effort they put in to make this a success and having the arrival of the Olympic torch projected very positively around the world in what will be very beneficial to the Northern Territory in terms of exposure and awareness being created internationally of the Northern Territory and an opportunity to come here and engendering those thoughts in the minds of the viewers.
Indeed, at the Olympic Torch Dinner last Wednesday evening, I sat at a table which included the Mayor of Athens - there were others; there were federal ministers there as well, of course - and he made a very firm point that, of all the things that are going to happen in the next couple of days, you will not be able to believe the benefit that will flow to the Northern Territory from the international exposure the Australian and Northern Territory government will get in relation to the awareness that is created internationally from the exposure that would be generated and projected internationally by the media groups that were around.
I think we have to pay tribute to the traditional owners and the tour operators who made services and vehicles available to 80 media crews. They were able to get them out to different parts of the Rock, to the Olgas, to the traditional owners, to enable them to experience the real outback, the real people and gain an appreciation of what the Northern Territory is all about.
It was very positive. Unfortunately the member for Stuart does not see those benefits but it has been a great showcase for the Northern Territory. Of course Top End residents will look forward to the torch arriving in the Top End on 28 June in Katherine and then going from Katherine to other Territory communities including Darwin. I hope that it is received a little bit more enthusiastically by people like the member for Stuart. I also want to mention that Redback Productions in Alice Springs together with the Tourist Commission, with great innovation, the Centralian leg of the relay was broadcast live on the Internet. That, too, generated an enormous amount of interest. In fact, I understand that that Internet site was so popular at one stage it was difficult to access because of the number of people who were accessing it.
All in all, very positive. The government is very supportive of that. We are certainly appreciative of all the efforts being put into it and we recognise the benefits that will flow from that as opposed to the good members opposite.
Mr Toyne: It is not about money minding; it is about the Olympic spirit.
ANSWER
Well, I did not see you basking in too much of the Olympic spirit, but I know that ...
Mr Toyne: What are you talking about?
Mr REED: I know you participated ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: There you go, Mr Speaker, that attracted a bit of a response, didn’t it?
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: And what were you doing? Where were you asleep at the time? The member for Nhulunbuy - seems he was, he is not responding.
The honourable member for Macdonnell has asked a question and it is a wise one. You might well have asked yourself what benefits did derive to the Northern Territory, if you were so keen - if the member for Stuart was so keen on these matters, rather than interrupting the answer that would be given to the honourable member for Macdonnell.
I can say that the arrival on Australian soil at Uluru of the Olympic flame did create world headlines. There was an enormous amount of international and national media interest. Honourable members, apart from the member for Stuart, might be interested to learn of what that interest encompassed.
In the United States alone, there were 141 television news items of the arrival of the torch at Ayers Rock on Thursday night last. On the overseas tourist front, our offices - that is the Australian Tourist Commission and Northern Territory Tourist Commission - report the coverage which led TV news bulletins and featured in major newspapers and radio broadcasts has been very positive. As well as the coverage - you are still not interested, the honourable member for Stuart, I notice ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr REED: ...it is a great shame.
As well as the coverage on the major US networks of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, BBC news included a live cross from the Rock, as did the major French TV station, France 2. Britain’s ITV featured the torch arrival eight times during its 2 hour prime time breakfast program. Newspaper coverage was also strong and there was also great interest in the region with the torch arrival featuring in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Credit is due to all involved especially the traditional owners who were eager to present their culture to the world.
The torch relay was preceded by a sports carnival at Mutijulu for the week preceding the arrival of the torch and the honourable member for Macdonnell presented a cheque on behalf of the Northern Territory government to the value of $6000 to contribute to the cost of bringing school children from throughout the region to Mutijulu to participate in those games leading up to the Olympic torch arrival. They were very successful, very well received and were able to ensure that schools in the region were able to participate in what will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those kids. I would have thought the good member for Stuart would have been a bit more appreciative of that sort of effort.
The Northern Territory Tourist Commission and the Australian Tourist Commission developed programs for members of the international media in conjunction with Territory tour operators. I thank Territory tour operators and those two agencies for the effort they put in to make this a success and having the arrival of the Olympic torch projected very positively around the world in what will be very beneficial to the Northern Territory in terms of exposure and awareness being created internationally of the Northern Territory and an opportunity to come here and engendering those thoughts in the minds of the viewers.
Indeed, at the Olympic Torch Dinner last Wednesday evening, I sat at a table which included the Mayor of Athens - there were others; there were federal ministers there as well, of course - and he made a very firm point that, of all the things that are going to happen in the next couple of days, you will not be able to believe the benefit that will flow to the Northern Territory from the international exposure the Australian and Northern Territory government will get in relation to the awareness that is created internationally from the exposure that would be generated and projected internationally by the media groups that were around.
I think we have to pay tribute to the traditional owners and the tour operators who made services and vehicles available to 80 media crews. They were able to get them out to different parts of the Rock, to the Olgas, to the traditional owners, to enable them to experience the real outback, the real people and gain an appreciation of what the Northern Territory is all about.
It was very positive. Unfortunately the member for Stuart does not see those benefits but it has been a great showcase for the Northern Territory. Of course Top End residents will look forward to the torch arriving in the Top End on 28 June in Katherine and then going from Katherine to other Territory communities including Darwin. I hope that it is received a little bit more enthusiastically by people like the member for Stuart. I also want to mention that Redback Productions in Alice Springs together with the Tourist Commission, with great innovation, the Centralian leg of the relay was broadcast live on the Internet. That, too, generated an enormous amount of interest. In fact, I understand that that Internet site was so popular at one stage it was difficult to access because of the number of people who were accessing it.
All in all, very positive. The government is very supportive of that. We are certainly appreciative of all the efforts being put into it and we recognise the benefits that will flow from that as opposed to the good members opposite.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016