The biggest music celebration on the Australian calendar – Triple J's Hottest 100 – has had its date moved after an online survey revealed most listeners were up for a change in date.
The Hottest 100 will now be held on the fourth weekend in January (in 2018, that's Saturday January 27), with voting opening on December 12 and closing January 22.
The government-funded radio station usually hosted the countdown on the divisive national holiday, Australia Day on January 26. The public holiday has been under increased scrutiny in recent years, with Indigenous Australians noting the day holds significant issue for them due to its association with the violent dispossession of land carried out by the British first fleet upon its arrival in Australia.
A publicly-backed campaign to change the date carried momentum last year and included multiple high profile Indigenous artists campaigning (and writing songs) on the importance of changing the date from what they know as "Survival" or "Invasion Day."
Triple J will host another, separate event on Australia Day that will "highlight the diversity of Australia."
The station has yet to confirm when during the fourth weekend of January 2019 the countdown will take place, given January 26 falls on a Saturday that year.
Twitter was filled with people excited and happy with the date change for 2018:
good move by triple j, and great work to the people in and outside who agitated for it
Very good and correct decision from @triplej
Told ya.
Good on Triple J for standing up for our First People and changing the date of the Hottest 100 from Australia Day.… https://t.co/rj12hx79tp