Big names like Jessica Mauboy sell Northern Territory

MAUBOY, Tahan, Wilkinson and Skaife. These are just some of the recognisable names stepping up to promote the Northern Territory in a big way.

TOURISM NT will spend $250,000 of taxpayers’ money on a celebrity-driven campaign promoting the Territory.

The money will be spent on the “mates of the Territory” promotion over 12 months and will have a heavy focus on social media with the hashtag #AskNTMates.

The NT News asked Tourism Minister Matt Conlan’s office how much each of the celebrities were being paid to promote the NT.

But it declined to answer due to “commercial in confidence” reasons.

The list of “mates of the Territory” includes Today show host Lisa Wilkinson, former cricketer Matthew Hayden, Channel 7 journo Mark Beretta, motorsport legend Mark Skaife, Katherine-born Masterchef runner-up Lynton Tapp, Darwin Big Brother contestant Tahan Lew Fatt, former professional surfer Layne Beachley, Darwinite and actor in The Sapphires Shari Sebbens and professional Instagrammer Lauren Bath.

Mr Conlan said the mates of the Territory were mainly volunteers but confirmed some were being paid.

“Some mates may be paid with a formal contract for their time and attendance at particular activities and projects and will be commercial in confidence,” he said. “Anyone can be a mate of the NT. We hope to build our list of “mates of the Territory” over time.”

While the NT Government is throwing cash at former sports stars and reality TV show contestants, homegrown superstar Jessica Mauboy is promoting the Territory for free.

READ: JESSICA MAUBOY “BUZZING” AFTER EUROVISION

Our Jess is constantly posting photos of her visits to the NT on her social media accounts including Facebook, where she has 470,000 Likes, Twitter, where she has 176,000 followers, and Instagram, where she has 144,309 followers.

Mauboy, who is currently in the Top End with family, was not announced as one of the “mates of the Territory” as part of Tourism NT’s latest promotion.

But Tourism Minister Matt Conlan said she was approached to take part.

“We’re having discussions with her manager at the moment,” he said.

Mauboy has been a long-time ambassador for the Territory, this week posting happy snaps fishing at Dundee Beach with father Ferdy and boyfriend Themeli Magripilis.

Her Facebook fans liked a recent photo Mauboy posted of Darwin that had the caption: “Back in the Northern Territory! #NoFilterNeeded xx”

Hayden’s latest tweet was spruiking fishing on the Tongariro River in New Zealand while an earlier tweet in April had him talking up Queensland’s North Stradbroke Island.

Beretta has been re-­tweeting tweets about the Territory, while Ms Wilkinson dedicated a segment on the Today Show recently to a video of her trip to the Top End where she went swimming in the Cage of Death.

READ: SELFIE ALERT! MINDIL MARKET’S INSTAGRAM MEET

An inspection of the social media of most other “mates” has not a lot about the Northern ­Territory.

But it is also expected to pick up when the campaign’s profile increases.

Ms Bath has been putting some beautiful photos on her popular Instagram account – of Sydney and Canberra.

A search of the #AskNTMates hashtag on Twitter yesterday revealed a total of 15 tweets, the majority of them from @AusOutbackNT directing questions at the mates of the Territory.

The questions remained unanswered by our mates at the time of writing.

In addition to celebrity support, Tourism NT hopes to mobilise the more than 240,000 people who ‘like’ the Northern Territory Facebook page and turn them into ambassadors for the Territory through word of mouth.