Music and entertainment
1975 - Colour television
Colour television was introduced to Australia in 1975. By 1978, it was estimated that around 7 in 10 Sydney households owned a colour television set. Colour gave television programmes a new appeal, injecting them with vibrancy and depth. Sporting programmes, for example, became much more dynamic and music programmes were brighter and more exciting to watch.
The most popular music programme of the decade was Countdown. Making its debut in 1974, Countdown provided exposure to many up-and-coming Australian music acts. Using brightly coloured lights and flamboyant costumes, new bands used the technology of colour television to project themselves into the lounge rooms and record collections, of many Australians.
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Australian television content in the 1970s
In the 1970s, Australians watched more local content than ever before. The success of Australian-made programmes in the 1960s, such as Homicide and The Mavis Bramston Show, had proven that Australians had a hearty appetite for home-grown productions.
The government also encouraged the production of more Australian programmes throughout the decade by increasing funding to the Australian television industry. In 1976, the government imposed a 50 percent local content quota on Australian television between 4pm and 10pm, which also helped spur the production of local programmes.
In the early 1970s, the government introduced tax breaks and funding assistance to the local film industry to help protect it from foreign imports. Australian films flourished as a result. Later in the decade, the funding increase had a positive flow-on effect on the television industry, as many high-quality, locally-made feature films, mini-series and documentaries were broadcast on the small screen.
Australian television programmes in the 1970s
Debuting in 1977, Cop Shop continued the police drama precedent set by Homicide in the 1960s. Comedies like Kingswood Country and The Norman Gunston Show explored Australian themes and helped define a distinctly Australian sense of humour, while soap operas like The Flying Doctors, The Sullivans and Prisoner told diverse stories of everyday life in Australia.
Number 96 (1972-1977) was a controversial Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. The series approached taboo topics never before seen on Australian television, such as sex, nudity, drugs, racism and homosexuality.
Australian cinema in the 1970s
Local film industries are generally considered an important way for people to examine and share their own culture and heritage. Australian films, however, had struggled to reach the screen throughout the 1950s and 1960s - floundering amid the influx of American and other foreign cinema. The social upheaval of the late 1960s had prompted many Australians to re-examine their national culture and embark on the search for a unique Australian identity. Starved of local stories, however, many people feared that Australia's cultural identity was at risk.
In the 1970s, the Australian government began to provide support to the flailing film industry. Various funds were established to provide finance for Australian films, and in 1973, the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) opened. A renaissance in Australian cinema ensued - between 1970 and 1985, around 400 films were made in Australia. These included Picnic at Hanging Rock(1975)and Breaker Morant (1979).
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These filmsenabled Australian characters and stories to be played out against the backdrop of our unique landscape, and provided a forum for people to explore issues of national identity. Several dominant themes emerged throughout this period of film making. The image of Australians as stoic, rugged outdoor people was common and the vast, red outback became a familiar setting.
Whether or not Australians identified with these depictions of themselves and their surroundings, local films proved popular with audiences during the 1970s.
Australian radio in the 1970s
FM radio was introduced to Australia in the mid 1970s. It provided a higher quality broadcast than the current AM radio technology, and created more space on the airwaves. A range of new public, commercial and niche radio stations would eventually spring up to fill this space.
Throughout the 1960s, Australia's large immigrant population had developed into a strong political force. Migrant groups demanded a radio service that allowed them to communicate in their own languages, and provided a forum for their distinct identity and culture to be fostered and celebrated.
FM radio technology provided this forum. In 1975, the Commonwealth Government funded the development of several multicultural radio stations. Two of these stations, 2EA in Sydney and 3EA in Melbourne, were eventually combined to form the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The new stations reflected the Government's shift in immigration policy from assimilation to multiculturalism, which encouraged migrants to retain ties to their country of origin.
In 1975, a new 24-hour youth rock station 2JJ (which later became Triple J) began broadcastng. Radio 2JJ gave unprecedented exposure to a number of Australian acts and promoted many styles of music otherwise ignored by commercial radio stations. In 1980, 2JJ moved over to the FM frequency.
Radio and Australian music in the 1970s
In the early 1970s, Australian music acts struggled to achieve sustained success, mostly due to a lack of radio airplay. American and other foreign acts continued to saturate the market.
In 1973, however, fears about the overwhelming volume of American music flowing into Australia led to an increase in local content quotas. In 1973, the Australian Broadcasting Control Board (ABCB) set down a code of practice that required radio stations to ensure that 10 percent of the music they broadcast was Australian. In 1976, this was raised to 20 percent.
The introduction of local content quotas led to a revival in the Australian music industry. Throughout the 1970s, the music programme Countdown and new 24-hour rock station 2JJ were also crucial in providing national exposure to many emerging local artists.
Australian music in the 1970s
In the early 1970s, it was generally considered overly-ambitious for an Australian musician or band to aim for international success. Instead, Australian acts were expected to concentrate on conquering the domestic market, before 'going international'. By the end of the decade, however, several Australian acts had broken into the international market as well as achieving domestic success. Bands like Sherbet and Skyhooks and artists like John Paul Young and Olivia Newton-John enjoyed hit songs in America and Europe and embarked on overseas tours.
Skyhooks
Glam rock outfit Skyhooks were one of the first distinctively Australian acts ever to achieve large-scale success on the domestic charts. Skyhooks challenged the norm with their flamboyant costumes and suggestive lyrics and many of their songs were banned from commercial radio. Their 1974 album Living in the Seventies soon became the highest-selling Australian album of all time.
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A distinctive 'Australian pub rock' style of music also emerged in the 1970s, characterised by simple rhythms and melodies and heavy electric guitars and drums. It was made famous by acts like Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil. Local 'hard rock' outfit AC/DC went on to achieve major international success, selling 150 million albums around the world.
In January 1972, Australia held its first ever outdoor music festival in Sunbury, near Melbourne. It attracted around 30 000 people and featured many local musicians, as well as various big-name overseas acts. The Sunbury festival signified the growing strength of the Australian music industry and marked the changing tastes of music lovers towards classic rock.
Disco music
The American 'disco' craze filtered through to Australia in the mid 1970s. Disco fans dressed in fitted, shiny outfits and danced in nightclubs to upbeat disco music. Popular American disco artists include The Jackson 5 and Donna Summer. The disco-themed films like Saturday Night Fever (1977) also helped popularise disco culture.
Other entertainment pursuits in the 1970s
Australians enjoyed a range of leisure activities during the 1970s. Go-karts, BMX bikes and skateboards were popular and many new ten-pin bowling centres and roller skating rinks were opened.
Other entertainment pursuits took place at home - houses were extended to provide more room for leisure and many families built backyard swimming pools.
