What's In A Date? We Look At The Political Reaction to Triple J's Hottest 100 Date Change

For the past few years, the debate around triple j's Hottest 100 countdown has become as much about the day it's held on as it is about the music. Jessica Dale looks into the political reaction since the youth broadcaster announced they're moving the countdown.

27 November 2017 was a big day for triple j. After years of debate around moving their annual Hottest 100 countdown from 26 January, the youth broadcaster announced that the countdown would now be taking place on the fourth weekend of January in 2018 and 2019. It's to become known as the Hottest 100 Weekend, with the 2018 event covering the top 100 songs of the year on Saturday 27 Jan and the top 200 the following day.

For a lot of people, the Hottest 100 countdown and Australia Day are symbiotic - something that can't be separated. For a lot of people, 26 January represents a day that couldn't be further from a celebration. For the broadcaster, they have chosen to separate the two because "the Hottest 100 shouldn't be part of a debate about the day it's on".

The decision to officially move the countdown was reached after consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and, eventually, a survey in August asking the triple j community, "How do you feel about triple j's Hottest 100 being on January 26th?" Of the 64,990 responses received, 60% of people supported moving the date, 39% of people did not support moving the date and 1% had no opinion on the matter.

In the weeks following the announcement, there were calls from both sides of the debate, one of the most prominent being from Minister for Communications and the Arts Senator Mitch Fifield.

The morning after the announcement, Minister Fifield told ABC's News Breakfast program, "There are a relatively small number of people who have an issue with the fact that Australia Day is celebrated on January 26," adding that he had already "made [his] view clear to the ABC" and that he would be "asking the Board of the ABC, who have the ultimate programming and editorial responsibility, to reconsider this".

The Music reached out to discuss these statements, however Minister Fifield was unavailable for an interview but did provide further comments on the topic.

"The ABC and triple j should not be putting themselves in a position where their programming decisions are seen as making loud political statements. Triple J has pointed to two surveys that they conducted of their listeners, but the ABC and triple j have a broader responsibility than to just one market segment. They have a responsibility to the entire Australian people who render in excess of $1 billion a year to the organisation," says Fifield.

"Poll after poll demonstrates public support for Australia Day as 26 January. The ABC should respect that. The ABC has legislated independence with regard to programming decisions and the ABC Board has ultimate responsibility for these matters. However, I have written to the chair of the ABC to ask that the Board reconsider and reverse this decision. It will be a matter for the ABC Board to determine, but the government's view is that they ought to recognise the overwhelming view of Australians on this issue."

Equally as vocal in the situation is Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens spokesperson on Arts and Media, who released a joint statement with Greens spokesperson on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Issues, Senator Rachel Siewert, congratulating triple j on their decision.

It reads, in part: "We are aware that Communications Minister Senator Mitch Fifield has asked you to reverse triple j's decision; we urge the Board to stick with triple j's decision which was made in consultation with the station's listenership and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists."

In a statement to The Music, Hanson-Young did not shy away from sharing her opinion on Fifield's comments, saying that "the Arts and Communications Minister was shameless in his determination to use his position to influence the ABC Board".

"Triple j must be applauded for being a part of positive change in our society through heavy consultation with their listenership and much-loved artists featured on the station. It's the listeners, not the opinions of those in parliament, who should be considered in this decision," says Hanson-Young.

"Lauding the Hottest 100 as some kind of Australia Day mainstay is a stretch considering it debuted on March 5, 1989, and didn't fall [consistently] on Australia Day until 1998. The Hottest 100 is an event to be celebrated in its own right, and triple j should have autonomy over when to broadcast it.

"It's important to note that ARIA winner AB Original's song January 26, which advocates for changing the date, came in at number 16 in this year's countdown. A song with such a strong message obviously resonated with hundreds of thousands of Australians, especially the thousands of people who told triple j to move their countdown."

It would be hard not to recognise the significance of AB Original's January 26 (feat Dan Sultan). The duo, Briggs and Trials, have been forthcoming in their views to not only change the date of the Hottest 100 but also Australia Day.

"They said, 'Hey, Briggs, pick a date' (okay)/'You know, one we can celebrate'(for sure)/'Where we can come together (yeah)/Talk about the weather, call that Australia Day'," they say in the track.

The announcement of the triple j move came just the day before the 2017 ARIA Awards, which both Briggs and Trials attended. Their album, Reclaim Australia, was nominated for a slew of awards, and they were also presenting and performing on the evening.

"It's a beautiful tip of the hat and a beautiful baby step towards a very big race, and a very long journey that we're all a part of," Trials told Shepparton News of the date change. "And it's beautiful that we've got ears up there that wanna talk and listen and communicate with us."

The Music also reached out to ABC's Communications department for comment and requested an interview with managing director Michelle Guthrie. Both requests were declined.