2019 Schools' Competition Topics
Year 5
All debates are Prepared Debates. Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.
Round 1:
That cats are better than dogs.
Round 2:
That hot cross buns should be sold all year round.
Round 3:
That monkey bars should be banned in schools and playgrounds.
Round 4:
That children should be paid for household tasks.
Round 5:
That there should be a sugar tax on soft drinks.
Year 6/7
All debates are Prepared Debates. Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.
Round 1:
That the reinstatement of corporal punishment by the school is a good idea. (see link)
Round 2:
That banning the handing out of birthday invitations is going too far. (see link)
Round 3:
That schools should have a dog to reduce stress in the classroom. (see link)
Round 4:
That see-through bins are a good idea. (see link)
Round 5:
That Mr Yilmaz has the right idea. (see link)
Quarter Final:
That e-scooters in Adelaide should be banned.
Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 3 minutes; warning bell at 2 minutes.
Semi Final:
That iPads, computers and tablets in primary school should be banished from the classroom.
Grand Final:
That school canteens should have 'no meat' Mondays.
Year 8
All debates are Prepared Debates. Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.
Round 1:
That the Prime Minister should make a 'State of the Union' speech. (see link)
Round 2:
That the ban to climb Ayer's Rock/Uluru should be overturned. (see link)
Round 3:
That there should be pill testing at music festivals.
Round 4:
That organic food is worth the cost.
Round 5:
That mobile phones should be banned at schools in South Australia.
Quarter Final:
That Mack Horton's protest should be lauded.
Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.
Semi Final:
That reservoirs in South Australia should be opened for recreational activities.
Prepared debate. Speeches of 4 minutes; warning bell at 3 minutes.
Grand Final:
That digital tracking of children is good parenting. (see link)
Year 9
All debates are Prepared Debates.
Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.
Round 1:
That doctors should not tell patients who have low risk conditions that they have cancer. (See link)
Round 2:
That parliamentary pensions should be scrapped.
Round 3:
That the Adelaide Remand Centre should be privatised.
Round 4:
That Australia should adopt nuclear power plants.
Round 5:
That there should be CCTV in classrooms.
One Card Debate. View guidelines here Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.
Quarter Final:
That dumpster diving should be discouraged.
Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 5 minutes; warning bell at 4 minutes.
Semi Final:
That voluntary euthanasia legislation should be implemented in South Australia.
Grand Final:
That the Federal Government's proposed drug tests for Newstart recipients is a good idea.
Year 10
Rounds 1 to 4 are Prepared Debates. Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.
Round 1:
That schools should punish students for skipping school to attend protests.
Round 2:
That Assange's arrest criminalises truth-telling journalism (see link).
Round 3:
That animal activists should not trespass onto farms.
Round 4:
That Rugby Australia has treated Israel Folau unfairly.
One Card Debate. View guidelines here Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.
Round 5:
Short Preparation Debate.
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:
That ISIS brides should not be allowed to return to Australia.
Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Note that the tense of the topic may change depending on news events. Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.
Semi Final:
That UTS bonus points for gender is a good initiative. (see link)
Prepared Debate. Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.
Grand Final:
That big business should remain neutral on social issues.
Prepared Debate. Speeches of 6 minutes; warning bell at 5 minutes.
Senior
Round 1: That Halal and Kosher slaughter practices should end. (See link. Students are welcome and encouraged to conduct their own research)
Prepared Debate. Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.
Round 2: That the IOC should not include transgender competitors. (IOC=International Olympic Committee)
One card debate. View guidelines here Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.
Round 3: That "broken windows" policing is a good idea.
Prepared Debate. Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.
Round 4: Short Preparation Debate.
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: That deplatforming has no place in Australian universities.
Prepared Debate. Arrive 30 minutes before for team photos. Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.
Semi Final: That the defence is too remote. (see link)
Prepared debate. Speeches of 8 minutes; warning bell at 7 minutes.
Grand Final: That Boris is best for Brexit.
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.