Ms McCARTHY - 2008-02-19
The filming of Baz Luhrmann’s movie, Australia, created a real buzz in Darwin - and not just for Baz - and is said to be an international box office hit. Can you please update the House on government efforts to capitalise on the movie to the benefit of all Territorians.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. The shooting of Baz Luhrmann’s Australia in Darwin really did capture the imagination. I am not the world’s greatest movie buff - I am pretty bad at Trivial Pursuit questions when it gets to who was in what movie - but I know enough to know that this movie will be an absolute worldwide hit. I could not believe the many thousands of Darwinians and Territorians who turned up to see the film being shot on the wharf. Driving home on a number of occasions, I also could not believe seeing hundreds of people lining up, after work, to audition for an extra part in the movie.
I have started a campaign to have the worldwide premier for Australia to be screened in Darwin. I have spoken to senior people in the production crew, as late as yesterday, who think it is a great idea. There is a lot of logistics to be worked through. It is complicated, because whoever is going to make the decision is not really part of the crew, and Baz Luhrmann who is making the film, but the distributors. Anyway, we will work through that. They are certainly saying: ‘Put your best case forward’. There are a lot good reasons to have the worldwide premier for Australia in Darwin.
On top of that, I am determined, as the Chief Minister, that we will do everything we can to capture the tourism benefits and the exposure that this movie is going to give to the Northern Territory. It is going to be the equivalent for this generation of Gone With the Wind. It is a great epic; about a great journey and a great romance. Much of it was shot in outback Australia and in Darwin. Tourism NT will be working, as they so very cleverly do - we have some great marketing people in Tourism NT - to put together a campaign around the awareness that this film is going to bring about the Northern Territory, and encourage people to take that great outback journey, to take the great trip on The Ghan and experience the vastness of this unique and wonderful country, to spend time on an outback cattle station and experience the greater country out there across the Northern Territory, to come to Darwin and see where the film was shot, and understand the history and the role that Darwin played in World War II.
Lord of the Rings was an enormous benefit to the New Zealand tourism industry. We can only begin to imagine what the exposure is going to be like for the Northern Territory as a result of this film. Tourism NT will be working very hard to ensure that we do capture the essence of that movie, and get it into the marketplace so that when people are thinking of taking the once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Australia, the first place they will want to come is the Northern Territory.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. The shooting of Baz Luhrmann’s Australia in Darwin really did capture the imagination. I am not the world’s greatest movie buff - I am pretty bad at Trivial Pursuit questions when it gets to who was in what movie - but I know enough to know that this movie will be an absolute worldwide hit. I could not believe the many thousands of Darwinians and Territorians who turned up to see the film being shot on the wharf. Driving home on a number of occasions, I also could not believe seeing hundreds of people lining up, after work, to audition for an extra part in the movie.
I have started a campaign to have the worldwide premier for Australia to be screened in Darwin. I have spoken to senior people in the production crew, as late as yesterday, who think it is a great idea. There is a lot of logistics to be worked through. It is complicated, because whoever is going to make the decision is not really part of the crew, and Baz Luhrmann who is making the film, but the distributors. Anyway, we will work through that. They are certainly saying: ‘Put your best case forward’. There are a lot good reasons to have the worldwide premier for Australia in Darwin.
On top of that, I am determined, as the Chief Minister, that we will do everything we can to capture the tourism benefits and the exposure that this movie is going to give to the Northern Territory. It is going to be the equivalent for this generation of Gone With the Wind. It is a great epic; about a great journey and a great romance. Much of it was shot in outback Australia and in Darwin. Tourism NT will be working, as they so very cleverly do - we have some great marketing people in Tourism NT - to put together a campaign around the awareness that this film is going to bring about the Northern Territory, and encourage people to take that great outback journey, to take the great trip on The Ghan and experience the vastness of this unique and wonderful country, to spend time on an outback cattle station and experience the greater country out there across the Northern Territory, to come to Darwin and see where the film was shot, and understand the history and the role that Darwin played in World War II.
Lord of the Rings was an enormous benefit to the New Zealand tourism industry. We can only begin to imagine what the exposure is going to be like for the Northern Territory as a result of this film. Tourism NT will be working very hard to ensure that we do capture the essence of that movie, and get it into the marketplace so that when people are thinking of taking the once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Australia, the first place they will want to come is the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016