Year 5

Round 1: That cats are better than dogs.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 2: That e-scooters should be banned in the city. (Adelaide)

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 3: That Year 5s should do homework.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 4: That teachers should wear a uniform to school.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 5: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Year 6

Round 1: That self-serve at supermarkets is a good idea.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 2: That iPads, computers and tablets in primary school should be banned.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 3: That traffic fines should be based on income.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 4: That wearing a tie in the ACT Legislative assembly should be compulsory. (see link)

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 5: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Quarter Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Semi Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Grand Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Year 7

Round 1: That schools should ban mullets.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 2: That Hobby Horsing should be an Olympic sport.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 3: That the media causes moral panic about Eshays.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 4: That Australia should establish ‘charter schools’.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Round 5: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Quarter Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Semi Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Grand Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.

Year 8

Round 1: That the cost of an electric vehicle outweighs the benefits.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.

Round 2: That Wave Pools undermine the integrity of surfing. (see link as starting point to general discussion of surfing)

Prepared Debate Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.

Round 3: That the media should not disclose the names of criminal suspects until they have been found guilty at trial.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.

Round 4: That 'de-extinction' is a bad idea. (see link)

Prepared Debate Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.

Round 5: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.

Quarter Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.

Semi Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.

Grand Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.

Year 9

Round 1: That SpaceX has a worthy goal to develop a colony on Mars.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Round 2: That defacing works of art is an unacceptable form of protest. (see link)

Prepared Debate Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Round 3: The “Trad Wife” movement is good for women.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Additional topic details

Per information already emailed to schools on 9/06/2025

As always, students, under the guidance of their coaches, must look critically at their sources and evidence to decide what is pertinent to the debate. It goes without saying that any websites that denigrate women (or any person) are not a good source of information and are not relevant to the topic.

To avoid any confusion about the topic, the following definitions for the purpose of the debate apply:

Tradwife is a portmanteau for “traditional wife”, a woman who embraces traditional gender roles, primarily focusing on home making and family care, while her husband is the primary breadwinner. This can include cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, and maintaining the home. This term is intended to be synonymous with the idea of a “stay at home” parent.

The tradwife movement is therefore a group of people who support a lifestyle such as the above. Note that this does not include any concept of “submission” as some sources may define.

Good for women generally refers to something that has a positive impact on women’s lives and wellbeing. Note specifically that the definition does not infer “all women”.

Round 4: That YouTube should be exempt from Australia’s under 16’s social media ban.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Round 5: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Quarter Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Semi Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Grand Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Year 10

Round 1: That we should embrace 'Citizen Journalism'.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.

Round 2: That space is no place for civilians.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.

Round 3: That Australia is no longer the lucky country.

Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.

Round 4: That the development of bodyoids should be banned.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.

Round 5: Topic To Be Advised.

The Short Preparation Topic will be released 90 minutes before the scheduled debate. View guidelines here
Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.

Quarter Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.

Semi Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.

Grand Final: Topic To Be Advised.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.

Senior

Round 1: That Australia should withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.

Round 2: That foreign aid is a waste of money.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.

Round 3: That the development of Artificial Intelligence is an unacceptable risk to humanity.

Prepared Debate Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.

Round 4: Topic To Be Advised.

The Short Preparation Topic will be released 90 minutes before the scheduled debate. View guidelines here
Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.

Quarter Final:

Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.

Semi Final:

Prepared Debate Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.

Grand Final:

Prepared Debate Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.

Special Formats of Prepared Debates

Quodlibetical Topic

There are a number of issues that can’t be easily expressed in a one-line topic. Therefore you have been given a fictitious scenario, outlined by a few paragraphs, and a topic that is based on this scenario. The following should be noted:

1. The first speaker should not attempt to define the topic word for word, but rather should define the issue(s) or dilemma(s) that the topic presents.

2. It is this issue or dilemma that should be debated in an attempt to prove whichever side of the topic, i.e. feel free to debate the particular issue generally, but be sure to link it back to the topic as this is what you want to argue for or against.

3. There is no need for the first speaker to read out the initial paragraphs as the Chairman will do this before announcing the topic, however, any speaker may refer to these paragraphs as part of his/her argument.

4. Debaters are welcome and are encouraged to conduct further research on the issues presented but note that the scenario itself is often fictitious.

View the 2024 topics here.