Triple J Is Reportedly Considering A Date Change For The "Hottest 100", Away From Australia Day

Triple J’s Hottest 100 might be renamed Triple J’s Sunny But Cooling Later In The Arvo 100 if a proposed date change goes ahead.

Update: Never mind. Triple J has released a statement confirming that the Hottest 100 will remain on Australia Day in 2017.

"We will continue to talk to Indigenous communities, artists and our audience about the date for the Hottest 100 in future years," it reads.

"In short: it's under review.

"We want the Hottest 100 to be an inclusive and respectful event for all Australians, including all the incredible Indigenous artists making great Australian music, and the listeners from all cultural backgrounds who love it."

The original story continues below.

Pedestrian.TV reports ABC management has been holding a series of closed-door meetings, to consider a potential shift of the countdown from January 26 – Australia Day – to another, less contentious day (though, presumably, still a public holiday).

Triple J has reportedly been speaking with some Indigenous artists to discuss whether or not such a move would be appropriate, before making a decision at the end of this week.

The talks follow the increasing controversy that surrounds Australia Day, which is often commemorated as Invasion Day by Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.

In an effort to respect Australia’s first peoples, Fremantle city councillors last month voted to abandon their annual January 26 fireworks display.

That decision precipitated the #ChangeTheDate hashtag, in which people took to Change.org to petition Triple J to move their iconic countdown. As of this writing, the petition has a little under 2,400 digital signatures. Its creator, Brendan Busch, is offering tickets to the Falls Festival to anyone who can prove they convinced Triple J to #ChangetheDate.

If Triple J indeed change the date, you can expect they’ll receive a healthy heaping of congratulations, along with an even healthier heaping of complaints.

Certainly, finding a way to celebrate diversity within Australia on one specific day is something numerous organisations are wrestling with – even Big Lamb.

It’s something we’re even asking members to share their thoughts on.

Is there a way January 26 can be recontextualised as a more inclusive holiday? Or, are we seeing the first steps towards a new ‘Australia Day’ that carries far less historical baggage?

We don’t think Triple J alone can inspire a national shift. But if they do indeed decide to hold their Hottest 100 a little later – or earlier – than usual, there’s no denying Australia Day as we know it will have changed for good.

What say you?

Photo: Triple J.