Debaters Association of Victoria

Members and Schools:
Log in or sign up.

Welcome to the DAV Website
The DAV is a non-profit association which exists to promote debate. It is the peak debating body in Victoria and runs large competitions for adults and for schools across Victoria. It provides training and resources for debaters, teachers and adjudicators.

DAV Finals results - October 20th
The DAV Grand Finals were held on Wednesday 19th October at Caulfield Grammar School. The results are as follows:

A Grade
"That the media should not broadcast messages or graphic footage from terrorists"
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School defeated Wesley College in a split decision (4-1).

B Grade
"That Victoria should never seek to prohibit any hate speech that does not incite violence"
Camberwell Grammar School defeated Melbourne High School in a split decision (2-1)

C Grade
"That we should institute a 100% tax on inheritance"
Mt Eliza Secondary College defeated St Kevin's College in a unanimous decision

D Grade
"That we should abolish all ‘sin taxes’"
Melbourne High School defeated St Kevin's College in a unanimous decision

The DAV would like to thank all the students who participated in this year's competition and congratulate the finalists.

Schools Competition Grand Final - October 13th

The Schools Competition Grand Final will be held at Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School in Essendon from 6pm on Wednesday, October 18th.

Junior British Parliamentary Competition - October 30th - September 26th

The Junior Division (Years 7-9) of the Schools British Parliamentary Competition will be held at Wesley College Prahran on Sunday, October 30th.

More information and registration form

Semi-finals draw available - September 15th

The draw for the Semi-finals is now available online.

Quarter Finals draw available - September 8th

The draw for the Quarter Finals is now available online.

Octo-finals draw available - August 31st

The draw for the octo-finals is now available online.

Playoff 2 draw available - August 25th

The draw for Playoff 2 is now available online.

Schools Competition Finals Series - August 16th

The draw for Playoff 1 is now available online.

Additionally, a complete list of finals teams and which rounds they are required for is below.

A Grade
These teams will be required for Playoff 1 only (winners progress to octo-finals):
Emmaus College - VCE Campus 1
Huntingtower School 2
St Francis Xavier College 1
St Michael's Grammar School 2
The Peninsula School 2
Wesley College St Kilda 1

These teams will be required for Playoff 2 only (winners progress to octo-finals):
Assumption College 1
Brighton Grammar School 1
Camberwell Grammar School 3
East Doncaster Secondary College 1
Girton Grammar School A1
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 1
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 3
Marymede Catholic College 1
Melbourne High School 1
Mercy Diocesan College 1
Northcote High School 1
Penola Catholic College 1
Princes Hill Secondary College 1
Viewbank College 1
Westbourne Grammar School 1
Xavier College 4

These teams will not be required to debate until the octo-finals:
Ballarat & Clarendon College 1
Gippsland Grammar School 1
Kardinia International College 1
Scotch College 2
Tintern Schools 1

B Grade
These teams will be required for the first playoff (winners progress to second playoff):
Ballarat & Clarendon College 1
Beth Rivkah Ladies College 1
Brighton Grammar School 2
Brighton Grammar School 3
Firbank Grammar School 2
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 1
Notre Dame College B1
Overnewton Anglican College 3
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (McNab) 1
St Francis Xavier College 2
St Helena Secondary College 1
St Kevin's College 1
St Margaret's School 1
St Michael's Grammar School 1
St Paul's Anglican Grammar School 1
Xavier College 2

These teams will be required for the second playoff (in addition to the winners from the first playoff):
Academy of Mary Immaculate 1
Avila College 1
Brighton Grammar School 1
Camberwell Grammar School 1
Camberwell Grammar School 2
Catholic College Bendigo B1
Eltham High School 1
Emmanuel College 1
Geelong Grammar School 1
Girton Grammar School B1
Huntingtower School 1
Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School 4
Leibler Yavneh College 1
Loreto College 1
Loreto College 2
Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak 1
McKinnon Secondary College 1
Melbourne High School 4
Mentone Girls Grammar 3
Sacred Heart College Newtown 1
St Monica's College 1
The Peninsula School 1
Tintern Schools 2
Viewbank College 1

C Grade
These teams will be required for Playoff 1 only (winners progress to octo-finals):
Firbank Grammar School 1
Gleneagles Secondary College 1
Haileybury College Keysborough Boys 1
Huntingtower School 2
Mac.Robertson Girls' High School 2
Melbourne Grammar School 1
The Peninsula School 1
The Peninsula School 3
Wesley College St Kilda 1
Yarra Valley Grammar School 2

These teams will be required for Playoff 2 only (winners progress to octo-finals):
Ballarat High School 1
Camberwell Grammar School 2
Eaglehawk Secondary College 1
East Doncaster Secondary College 1
Emmanuel College 1
Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School 3
Ivanhoe Grammar School 1
Ivanhoe Grammar School Plenty 1
Keilor Downs Secondary College 2
Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak 3
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 1
Mazenod College 1
Mount Eliza Secondary College 2
Princes Hill Secondary College 1
St Columba's College 1
St Helena Secondary College 1
St Kevin's College 1
The Geelong College 2

These teams will not be required to debate until the octo-finals:
Reservoir High School 1
Scotch College 1

D Grade
These teams will be required for the first playoff (winners progress to second playoff):
Avila College 3
Camberwell Grammar School 3
Forest Hill College 2
Glenroy College 2
Ilim College 3
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 8
Mt Waverley Secondary College 1
Parade College 2
Pascoe Vale Girls' Sec College 2
Pascoe Vale Girls' Sec College 3
Princes Hill Secondary College 1
Reservoir High School 1
Scotch College 5
St James College 1
St Monica's College 1
St Monica's College 2
St Monica's College 5
Westbourne Grammar School 4
Xavier College 1
Yarra Valley Grammar School 1

These teams will be required for the second playoff (in addition to the winners from the first playoff):
Ballarat High School 1
Bendigo South East College 1
Copperfield College 2
De La Salle College (Tiverton) 1
Derrinallum P-12 College 2
Dromana Secondary College 1
Grovedale College 1
Hampton Park Secondary College 1
Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School 1
Leibler Yavneh College 1
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 5
Melbourne High School 1
Mt St Joseph's Girls College 3
Northcote High School 1
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (Park Street) 2
Ruyton Girls School 1
Scotch College 6
St Bede's College 1
St Bede's College 6
St Kevin's College 1
St Kevin's College 2
Westbourne Grammar School 2

If you have any questions about the finals series, please make contact with me at the office by email or telephone.

Junior Secondary Program topics - July 27th

The 2011 topics for the JSP are:

Round 1: That we should have harsher punishment for school bullies
Round 2: That everyone should become vegetarian
Round 3: That parks are more important than car parks

Draws will be released as registration for each region is finalised. The student resource kit is available on the JSP information page.

Primary Schools Program - June 7th

Information and registration forms are now available online for the DAV's new Primary Schools Program. For more information about the programs, which are being run in many regions around Melbourne and Victoria, please make contact with the Training and Development Administrator, Andrew Costa.

Wheeler Centre Intelligence Squared Debate - May 24 - May 20th

Two DAV high school competitors will be representing the Association in a public debate on the topic 'That Funding of Private Education is Unconscionable.' Other speakers include Amanda Vanstone and novelist Shane Maloney. The DAV encourages members to attend, and has a few free passes to give away to the first members to email debater@dav.com.au. Additional details are available at the Wheeler Centre website.

Victorian Schools Team send-off debate - May 17th

The Victorian Schools Team send-off debate will be held at the DAV Offices on Friday, May 20th at 7pm. All are welcome to see off our team before they depart for the National Championships in Perth.

Viewpoint - the Monash Economics Debate - March 21st

Registration is now due for the one-day debating competition that we run in conjunction with the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University.

Download:

Competition draw (first-listed team is affirmative)
Topic resource guides

Visit the Viewpoint website for more information.

Debate Camp - March 17th

The DAV is excited to announce our inaugural debating camp. The non-residential camp will run from April 13th-15th from 9am-4pm each day.

More information »

Contacting the office by telephone: - February 17th

We are experiencing technical problems with our main telephone number: the line rings out to callers, but does not ring in the office. We are attempting to solve this problem with our service provider. To contact the office in the interim, please call us on another line: (03) 9348 9544, or make contact by email.

Victorian Schools Team trials - February 15th

Students: register online now for the Victorian Schools Debating Team trials.

Schools Competition Registration - February 10th

Registration for the 2011 Schools Competition is due on Thursday, February 17th.

All schools should have received by now a registration pack for the Competition. Alternatively, an electronic copy of the registration pack can be downloaded.

If you have any questions about the Competition, or need to retrieve your username and password for online registration, please make contact with the office.

Topics for the 2011 Competition will be released on Thursday, February 17th.

Beginner Adjudicator Training - January 12th

The office reopened for 2011 on Wednesday, January 12th.

We are currently accepting online registrations for Beginner Adjudicator Training at the start of 2011.

Office Closure - December 17th

The office will be closed from Thursday, December 24th 2010 until Wednesday, January 12th 2011.

We wish you a peaceful new year period!

Exciting news about the Training and Development Administrator (Part II) - November 30th

Andrew Costa has been appointed by the DAV Executive as the new Training and Development Administrator. Andrew has been involved in the DAV for three years, and has served as the Regional Co-ordinator for Geelong in 2009 and 2010.

Andrew has recently completed a Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne, and will take over the running of the Junior Secondary Program, Public Speaking Program, Primary Schools Program, and other responsibilities from the outgoing TDA, Meredith Prior.

We welcome Andrew to the DAV Office, and look forward to having his many talents on board.

Exciting news about the Training and Development Administrator - November 15th

The Training and Development Administrator, Meredith Prior, has been offered an internship with the Policy, Strategy, and Implementation Branch of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and will be leaving the DAV office to take up this role mid-November. Meredith joined us in early 2008 as one of three employees of the Association, and you may have spoken to her on the telephone, received an email from her, or met her in person at one of our events.

As Training and Development Administrator, Meredith has been responsible for running the Junior Secondary Program, Junior Public Speaking Program, Teacher Inservice, Primary Schools debating, and many other training and development programs. Meredith has been an invaluable asset to the organisation, with her sunny disposition and sound administrative skills always put to good use. She approached her work with enthusiasm, and we are better for it.

Meredith's work with the Association has taken her from our office in North Melbourne to Geelong, Kyabram, Bendigo, Shepparton, Echuca, Mildura, Warragul, and Sale, and we are sure this experience will stand her in good stead in her new position. We wish Meredith all the best for what is sure to be a bright future.

DAV Finals results - October 26th

The DAV Grand Finals were held on Thursday October 21st at Caulfield Grammar School. The results are:

A Grade
"That Islamic people living in the West should be allowed to practise Sharia law"
Scotch College 1 defeated Ivanhoe Grammar School 1 in a unanimous decision.
Adjudication panel: Tim Jeffrie, Charisma Dungan, Meredith Prior, Claire Roberts, and Nick Boyd-Caine.

B Grade
"That we should legalise recreational drugs"
Scotch College 1 defeated Melbourne Grammar School 2 in a unanimous decision.
Adjudication panel: Tim Jeffrie, Claire Roberts, Michael Ciesielski, Meredith Prior, and Wayne Jocic.

C Grade
"That we should offer immunity from prosecution to terorists who offer us useful information"
Scotch College 1 defeated Woodleigh School 1 in a unanimous decision.
Adjudication panel: Monique Hardinge, Wayne Jocic, and Nicholas Liau.

D Grade
"That denial of the Holocaust should be a crime"
Genazzano FCJ College 3 defeated Alphington Grammar School 1 in a unanimous decision.
Adjudication panel: Amit Golder, Charisma Dungan, and Tim Jeffrie.

We would like to thank all the students who participated in this year's competition and congratulate the finalists.

URGENT - Mentone JSP tonight postponed - October 11th

It has been brought to our attention that two dates for Mentone JSP Round 3 have been published inadvertently, one tonight, and one next Monday. The host school has used the later date, and so the facilities are not available for debating use this evening. Round 3 will therefore take place next Monday, October 18th. Forfeit fines will be waived for schools unavailable due to having scheduled the alternative date - please let the office know, though, so that the draw can be updated.

We are calling all all co-ordinators to ensure that this message has been received. We apologise for the confusion and inconvenience.

Regional Debating - October 11th

Registration information is now available for:

Mallee Regional Debating Competition (October 28th and 29th)
Goulburn Regional Debating Competition (October 27th and November 3rd)
Northern Public Speaking (Shepparton and Echuca) (November 3rd and 17th)

Registration information for other regions will be published this week.

Semi-finals draw now available - September 2nd

The draw for the Semi-finals, to be held at Ruyton Girls School, Kew on October 13th, is now available online.

Quarter finals draw now available - August 26th

The draw for the Quarter finals, to be held at Simonds Catholic College, West Melbourne on September 1st, is now available online.

Octo-finals draws now available - August 19th

The draw for the Octo-finals, to be held at St Michael's Grammar School on August 25th, is now available online.

Playoff 2 draw now available - August 12th

The draw for Playoff 2, to be held at Northcote High School on August 18th, is now available online.

Schools Competition Finals Series - August 6th

The finals series operates in a knock-out tournament fashion. Because more than 16 teams in each grade have entered the finals series, there are two playoff rounds before the Octo-finals. Teams are selected to compete in one, both, or neither playoff in accordance with the Schools Competition By-Law (2000).

The draw for each round of the finals series will be released by 10am on the morning following the previous round. The draw for Playoff 1, to be held on August 11th, is now online, and the draw for Playoff 2 will be published at 10am on Thursday, August 12th. (However, advance notice of whether teams are needed for Playoff 2 is provided below.)

A complete list of finals dates and venues is available online. A complete list of finals teams is below.

A Grade

These teams will be required for Playoff 1 only (winners progress to octo-finals):

Bialik College 1

Cobram Secondary College A1

De La Salle College (Kinnoull) 1

Haileybury College Keysborough Boys 1

Kilvington Girls Grammar 1

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 1

St Margaret's School 1

St Michael's Grammar School 1

St Monica's College 2

Star of the Sea College 2

The Peninsula School 1

Xavier College 2

These teams will be required for Playoff 2 only (winners progress to octo-finals):

Ballarat Grammar School 2

Carey Baptist Grammar School 2

East Doncaster Secondary College 1

Emmanuel College 1

Geelong Grammar School 1

Girton Grammar School A1

Ivanhoe Grammar School 1

Melbourne High School 4

Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (McNab) 2

Princes Hill Secondary College 1

Rochester Secondary College A1

Scotch College 1

St Bernard's College 1

St Helena Secondary College 2

St Patrick's College 1

Yarra Valley Grammar School 1

These teams will not be required to debate until the octo-finals:

Avila College 1

Gippsland Grammar School 1

B Grade

These teams will be required for Playoff 1 only (winners progress to octo-finals):

Brentwood Secondary College 1

Genazzano FCJ College 1

Marymede Catholic College 1

Methodist Ladies College 1

Padua College - Mornington 1

Sacre Coeur 1

Scotch College 3

St Leonard's College 1

St Paul's Anglican Grammar School 1

Wesley College Glen Waverley 2

Wesley College St Kilda 1

Whitefriars College 1

These teams will be required for Playoff 2 only (winners progress to octo-finals):

Academy of Mary Immaculate 1

Ballarat High School 1

Camberwell Grammar School 3

Gippsland Grammar School 1

Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak 1

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 1

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 2

Melbourne Grammar School 1

Melbourne Grammar School 2

Melbourne High School 3

Northcote High School 1

Rochester Secondary College B1

Scotch College 1

St Kevin's College 2

St Kevin's College 4

Westbourne Grammar School 1

Williamstown High School 1

Xavier College 1

These teams will not be required to debate until the octo-finals:

Kardinia International College 1

C Grade

These teams will be required for Playoff 1 only (winners progress to octo-finals):

Avila College 1

Brighton Grammar School 1

Haileybury College Keysborough Boys 1

John Monash Science School 3

Leibler Yavneh College 1

St Francis Xavier College 1

St Margaret's School 1

Tintern Girls Grammar School 2

Westbourne Grammar School 2

Woodleigh School 1

These teams will be required for Playoff 2 only (winners progress to octo-finals):

Ballarat High School 1

Camberwell Grammar School 2

Loreto College 1

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 1

Melbourne High School 4

Northcote High School 2

Scotch College 1

Scotch College 2

St Kevin's College 2

Williamstown High School 1

These teams will not need to debate until the octo-finals:

Academy of Mary Immaculate 2

Geelong Grammar School 1

Girton Grammar School 1

John Monash Science School 2

St Monica's College 1

Trinity Grammar School 1

D Grade

These teams will be required for the first playoff (winners progress to second playoff):

Elisabeth Murdoch College 1

Genazzano FCJ College 3

Haileybury College Keysborough Boys 5

Lauriston Girls' School 2

Mt Hira College 1

Scotch College 1

St Monica's College 3

St Monica's College 5

St Paul's Anglican Grammar School 5

The Geelong College 2

Tintern Girls Grammar School 1

Woodleigh School 1

Yarra Valley Grammar School 1

Yarra Valley Grammar School 3

These teams will be required for the second playoff (in addition to the winners from the first playoff):

Alphington Grammar School 1

Ballarat High School 1

Beth Rivkah Ladies College 2

Eaglehawk Secondary College 1

Firbank Grammar School 2

Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School 2

Keilor Downs Secondary College 2

Keilor Downs Secondary College 4

Kilvington Girls Grammar 2

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 2

Mac.Robertson Girls' High School 3

Marcellin College 8

Mazenod College 1

Melbourne Grammar-Wadhurst 2

Mercy Diocesan College 2

Mount Eliza Secondary College 1

Sacred Heart College Newtown 1

Sacred Heart College Newtown 2

Sacred Heart Girls College 2

Santa Maria College 1

St Monica's College 2

St Paul's Anglican Grammar School 2

Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School 2

Wesley College St Kilda 2

Westbourne Grammar School 1

Viewpoint Grand Final - March 30th

The Grand Final for the Monash University Faculty of Business and Economics Viewpoint debating competition will be held on 16 April 2010 at Monash University Caulfield Campus at 2:30pm.

Please register your attendance at the Monash Viewpoint website.

Victorian Schools Team trials - February 15th

Students: register online now for the Victorian Schools Debating Team trials.

Schools Competition Registration - February 2nd

Registration information has been posted to schools. The deadline for registration is Wed 17 February.

If you have not received a 2010 registration pack by the Friday, February 5th, please contact the office.

Teacher Inservice - February 1st

The DAV's Teacher Inservice will be held on February 26th and March 5th at the Jasper Hotel, Elizabeth St, Melbourne.

Download the registration form.

Office Open - January 11th

The DAV Office reopened for 2010 on Monday, January 11th.

Registration information for the 2010 Schools Competition will be posted to Debating Co-ordinators by the first week of term 1. If necessary, please update your contact details.

Finished Year 12? Register online for adjudicator training.

Summer Office Closure - December 18th

The DAV Office is closed over the New Year period, and will reopen on Monday, January 11th.

Urgent queries should be directed by email to debater@dav.com.au.

Schools Competition dates 2010 - December 11th

Dates for all regions of the Schools Competition (except Bendigo) are now available:

Download 2010 dates (PDF)

Junior Public Speaking Competition results - December 11th

The Grand Final of the Junior Public Speaking Competition was held at BMW Edge at Federation Square on Monday, November 30th.

From over 300 entrants in the competition, ten winners of the Semi-Finals presented speeches at the Grand Final.

Medals were awarded to:
Winner: Brianna Inturrisi (Brunswick Secondary College)
First runner-up: Georgina Frazer (Lauriston Girls' School)
Second runner-up: Nathan Hanegbi (Bialik College)

Telephones and fax unavailable - November 17th

Please note: the telephone and fax services to the DAV office have been temporarily disconnected due to a service fault. We are working with service providers to resolve this problem.

In the interim, you can make contact with the DAV by email (debater@dav.com.au), or by calling the DAV mobile phone: 0423 651 843.

DAV Finals results - October 26th
The DAV Grand Finals were held on Thursday October 22nd at Caulfield Grammar School. The results are:

A Grade
"That Australia is a racist nation"
Mac.Robertson Girls' High School 3 defeated Methodist Ladies' College 1 in a unanimous decision.
Adjudication panel: Jonathan Benney, Christopher Hibbard, Jennifer Ames, Anthony Kung, and Anna Blair.

B Grade
"That the federal National Party should withdraw from the Liberal-National coalition."
Melbourne High School 6 defeated St Catherine's School 1 in a split decision (2-1).
Adjudication panel: Wayne Jocic, Laura Bellamy, and Duncan Campbell.

C Grade
" That we should offer dictators amnesty in return for giving up power"
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 1 defeated Firbank Grammar School 1 in a unanimous decision.
Adjudication panel: Charisma Dungan, Claire Roberts, and Nick Boyd-Caine.

D Grade
"That the Rudd government is all spin and no substance"
Scotch College defeated St Monica's College in a unanimous decision.
Adjudication panel: Elizabeth Sheargold, Nicholas Liau, and Ravi Dutta.

We would like to thank all the students who participated in this year's competition and congratulate the finalists.

British Parliamentary Competition - October 15th

Our popular British Parliamentary Competition has been split into a Junior Division (November 1st) and a Senior Division (October 18th) this year. Both will be held at Melbourne High School.

Registration for the Junior Division is due on Thursday, October 29th.

Download:
Junior Division Registration Form

Anti-poverty Week Debate - September 16th

The DAV in conjunction with St Mary's House of Welcome will hold a debate as part of "Anti-poverty week" events. St Mary’s House of Welcome Day Centre provides a range of services for people in need, including meals in a dining room setting, showering amenities, pastoral care, social worker support and referral and recreation activities offered in a safe and supportive environment. Many DAV schools members have volunteered with St Mary's in the past.

The topic of the debate will be "Poverty and Homelessness: It's all their fault, isn't it?". Speakers will include Daniel Browning, Emma Ayres and Lindy Burns from the ABC.

The date will be held at 7pm (doors open 6:30pm) on Tuesday October 27th at Melbourne Rowing Club, Boathouse St, Melbourne. Tickets cost $10.

We invite all DAV members and interested parties to attend this event.

Semi-final draws available - September 10th

The Semi-final draws for all grades are now available.

Quarter-final draws available - September 3rd

The Quarter-final draws for all grades are now available.

Octo-final draws available - August 27th

The octo-final draws for all grades are now available.

Playoff 2 - D Grade draw available - August 20th

The D Grade draw for Playoff 2 is now available.

(The B and C Grade draws had previously been published; no A Grade teams are required for Playoff 2.)

Contacting the DAV office by telephone - August 11th

We have recently made the transition to a new telephone service provider. You may temporarily encounter minor difficulties when telephoning the DAV office:

No answering service: the answering service is currently inactive. To leave a message out-of-hours, please email debater@dav.com.au or fax (03) 9348 9466.

Limited capacity: while our line hunt set up is pending, only one incoming call can be answered at a time, so you may receive a busy signal when calling the DAV office. Please call again, or send a message by email or fax.

We have support requests logged to address these problems; thank you for your patience in the interim.

Update 19/8: The out-of-hours answering service has been reactivated. A request to re-active line hunt service is still pending.

Junior Secondary Program registration closing Friday - July 22nd

Registration for the Junior Secondary Program closes Friday July 24th. Registrations should be submitted by faxing the registration form from the information pack to (03) 9348 9466.

Download the information pack

A new TV series based on public speaking is looking for contestants - July 15th

The show will air nationally in the search for Australia's best public speaker. Contestants will be cast through auditions to be held in capital cities around Australia in August.

At the auditions you must give a three minute speech – without notes - that will make the audience laugh, gasp or cry or all three. An impromptu speech is also required.

Audition and other details can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/tv/strictlyspeaking/. Expressions of interest can be sent to strictlyspeaking@sstar.com.au.

Victorian State Team Send-off Debate - July 13th

The Victorian Schools Debating Team will shortly be travelling to Adelaide to compete at the National Schools Debating Championship, hosted this year by the South Australian Debating Association.

The traditional send-off debate was held at the DAV Office (Suite 5, 87-89 Flemington Rd, North Melbourne) at 7pm on Tuesday July 14th. A lively exhibition debate farewelled the Team.

We wish them the best of luck at Nationals!

Round 5 Draws - June 26th

Draws for round 5 are being created, and will be posted online as soon as possible.

When the round 5 draw for a region is available, it will appear on the same page as the draws for rounds 1-4. Debating Coordinators will also receive an email when the draw is available.

Viewpoint Results - June 10th

Many financial challenges face the world in the current economic climate, but tomorrow’s leaders are already teasing out potential solutions in Monash University Faculty of Business and Economics Viewpoint Debating Competition. In conjunction with the Debaters Association of Victoria, the Viewpoint competition was held at Monash’s Caulfield campus featuring 24 teams from a wide range of Victorian high schools. The competition aimed to make economic ideas and themes more easily accessible to secondary school students by having them debate the controversial economics questions of our time.

After three preliminary debates and a highly competitive finals series, teams from Scotch College and Gippsland Grammar School were selected to compete in the Grand Final. At the BMW Edge Theatre, Federation Square, Mr Red Symonds chaired the final motion ‘That the Rudd Government should delay the emissions trading scheme in the interests of economic recovery’ which was eventually won by Scotch College.

The Hon. Bronwyn Pike, Minister for Education gave an address and congratulated the debaters from both schools for their exciting oratory and argumentative skills.

Coburg round 4 postponed due to Influenza A(H1N1) - June 1st

Mercy College, the host school of the Coburg region, will be closed on Department of Health advice next week due to some confirmed cases of Influenza A(H1N1). The round four debates, scheduled for Wednesday June 3rd at Mercy College, cannot be held there.

Two other schools in the region also has some confirmed cases of Influenza A, and it is possible that this might occur at other schools in the region as the virus spreads. Since the lack of three or more schools would be highly disruptive to the draw, we have decided to postpone the regional night rather than to relocate it.

The round will now be held on Thursday, June 25th.

Contacting the DAV office by telephone - May 31st

We have been experiencing intermittent problems with telephone connectivity for the last three weeks. Although we have been in constant contact with our service provider, they have not yet been able to determine the cause of the problem.

Please note that calls to or from the office may drop out, and the office may be unreachable for short lengths of time.

We apologise for the inconvenience, and hope to have the issue resolved as soon as possible.

(N.B. Our internet/fax line is unaffected, so emails and faxes to 03 9348 9466 can still be sent.)

Update 15/6: Commander Australia report that the fault has been fixed by replacing a copper cable in the street. Please let us know if you have any difficulty contacting us by telephone henceforth.

Viewpoint Registration due next week - April 15th

Registration for Viewpoint (The Monash Economics Debate) is now due.

Viewpoint is a day-long debating competition for secondary school students in years 9-12, involving three debates for all teams on Sunday, May 3rd at Monash University Caulfield, and finals to follow at later dates. The competition is similar to our popular one-day British Parliamentary Competition, but is held in the 3-v-3 style like the Schools Competition.

As this competition is being run in conjunction with the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University, there is no cost to schools to participate. Schools can enter a maximum of two teams, and all participants will receive a free T-shirt.

More information and register »

Draw and topic release - March 10th

Topics for 2009 are now available. Draws are available for all regions except Bendigo (where registration is still open).

Schools Competition Registration 2009 due now - February 18th

The timely registration period for Schools Competition registration has been extended to this Friday, February 20th. Registrations after this time will only be accepted at the discretion of the Schools Administrator, and a late fee will apply.

Registration packs were mailed to schools in the first week of term. If you didn't receive one, please contact the office: 03 9348 9477.

Victorian Schools Debating Team trials - February 16th

Trials for the Victorian Schools Team will be held on Sunday March 1 at MacRoberston Girls' High School. Please contact the office with your name, year level and school if you would like to attend.

Trials begin at 9:15am and will be finished by 4:00pm.

As a result of these trials 12 students will be selected to train as a squad for the State team. These students will train every Saturday from 10am-4pm until July, when the National Championships will be held in Adelaide.

The trials are a great opportunity for high quality competition and feedback, even for students who aren't selected as squad members.

Students are not required to wear school uniform to the this event.

Registration 2009 - January 27th
Registration information will be received by mail in the first week of first term 2009. Please contact the office if you don't receive it.

Online Registration is now open.

Registration is due by Wednesday 18th February.

If you have any questions regarding registration, please call the office on 9348 9477.

DAV Dates 2009 - January 1st
The dates for most regions of the 2009 Schools Competition are now available.
A file containing the dates for all regions is available below.

DAV Schools Competition dates 2009

DAV Finals results - January 1st
The DAV Grand Finals were held on Tuesday 14th October at Caulfield Grammar School. The results are as follows:

A Grade
"That Australia should not introduce a carbon emissions trading scheme"
Penleigh & Essendon Grammar School defeated Scotch College in a split decision (3-2).

B Grade
"That we should have the death penalty for war criminals"
MacRobertson Girls' High School defeated Wesley College in a split decision (2-1)

C Grade
" That religious leaders should not comment on political issues"
Scotch College defeated St Margaret's School in unanimous decision

D Grade
"That Australia is a nanny state"
The Woodleigh School defeated Williamstown High School in a split decision (2-1)

The DAV would like to thank all the students who participated in this year's competition and congratulate the finalists.

Harangue 5 is now available! - January 1st
Issue 5 of Harangue magazine for student debaters is now available.