1

STYLE OF DEBATE

1.1

Unless specifically altered in these Rules, debates will be conducted in accordance with  chapters 1-9 of the Australia-Asia Debating Guide (“the Guide”).

1.2

A team must field 3 eligible speakers and a “fourth person” throughout the debate and no speaker may deliver more than one substantive (i.e. not a reply) speech

2

COMPETITION STRUCTURE

Class Groups

2.1

The competition will be divided into 6 Class Groups:

2.1.1

Novice - for students in year 8 and below who have not debated before.  A team may however include one student with previous debating experience.

2.1.2

Class 8 - for students in year 8 and below.

2.1.3

Class 9 - for students in year 9 and below.

2.1.4

Class 10 - for students in year 10 and below.

2.1.5

Class 11 - for students in year 11 and below.

2.1.6

Class 12 - for students in year 12 and below.

2.2

The Roster Coordinator may amalgamate one or more Class Groups as required

Four Divisions

2.3

Each Class Group will be divided into up to four Divisions.  Teams will be allocated to a Division by the Roster Coordinator.

Entries

2.4

Unless directed by the Roster Coordinator, before or after entries close, there is no set limit on the number of teams a school may enter in any Class Group.

Chairing and Timekeeping

2.5

The “fourth person” for the affirmative team will chair the debate and the “fourth person” for the negative team will be the timekeeper.

Adjudicators

2.6

One adjudicator only will adjudicate debates in preliminary rounds of the competition.

2.7

Three adjudicators will adjudicate debates in final rounds of the competition.

Eligible Speakers

2.8

An eligible speaker for a team is a student:

3

DEFINITIONS

3.1

The affirmative may define the topic in any way provided that the definition:

3.1.1

is reasonably close to the plain meaning of the topic;

3.1.2

allows the negative team reasonable room to debate;

3.1.3

is not tautological or truistic; and

3.1.4

is otherwise a reasonable definition.

3.2

Squirreling, placesetting and timesetting are not permitted.

3.2.1

Squirreling is the distortion of the definition to enable a team to argue a pre-prepared argument that it wishes to debate regardless of the topic actually set;

3.2.2

Placesetting is the setting of a debate of general application in a particular place.

3.2.3

Timesetting is the setting of a debate of general application in a particular time, past or future.

3.3

The role of the first speaker of the negative is to challenge the definition if necessary, and present an alternative definition if the definition is challenged.

3.4

The first negative may challenge the definition only if it does not conform to 3.1 or 3.2.  If he or she challenges the definition, the first negative must propose a new definition that conforms to 3.1 and 3.2.

3.5

If the first negative does not challenge the definition, the negative is taken to have accepted the definition and the negative may not challenge the definition in any other speech unless the affirmative significantly alters the definition in their subsequent speeches.

SPEAKING TIMES

Total Speech

2 bells

(mins)

4.1

Novice

3

4.2

Class 8

4

4.3

Class 9

6

4.4

Class 10

6

4.5

Class 11

8

4.6

Class 12

8

4.7

The speech time for Reply speeches are half the above with a warning bell 1 minute before the end of the speech time.

THE PERMANENT MEMBERSHIP RULE

5.1

Once a student has debated for a particular team on three occasions that student will be regarded as a permanent member of that team.

5.2

A permanent team member is not allowed to compete for another team in competition in any Division at the same or a lower Class Group, unless he or she changes schools during the course of the competition

POINTS OF INFORMATION AND REPLY SPEECHES (CLASS 10, CLASS 11 AND CLASS 12 ONLY)

6.1

Apart from Points of Information in Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12 debates, interjections are not permitted in any debate.

6.2

Reply speeches are allowed in Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12 Debates only.

RESULTS

7.1

Team Points will be awarded as follows:

Win

Win by forfeit

Loss

Forfeit before 12 noon on the day of the debate

Forfeit (or postponement) after 12 noon on the day of debate

Disqualification

7.2

Where a team is otherwise ready and willing to debate at the rostered or postponed time and place, but is prevented by an event that appears to the adjudicator to be a last minute event apparently outside the control of the team (including but not limited to illness, preparation of the wrong topic or the wrong side of a topic, or the unexpected failure of a team member to arrive at the venue) that team will be regarded as having forfeited the debate and will be awarded zero Team Points for the debate.

7.3

Speaker Ranking Points will be awarded by the adjudicator in addition to the individual speaker's marks scored out of 100, as follows:

Best Speaker

Next Best Speaker

Two speakers can both be given the same mark out of 100.  Two speakers cannot both be given and the same Ranking Points.

7.4

Draws are not allowed to be awarded in the competition.

7.5

Where a team has a BYE or a win or loss by forfeit, that team will receive its average Speaker Ranking Points (calculated from all its other competition debates) for that debate, and in the case of a BYE, its average Team Points from all other debates.

7.6

7.7

Points of Information (Class 10 - optional, Class 11 and Class 12 Only)

7.8

Participation in offering points of information, and the quality of the points made, will be marked in a separate column as an adjustment (between -2 to +2) of the overall mark for each speaker. 

7.9

Performance by a speaker accepting points is marked in his or her own speech.

Ranking

7.10

Teams will be ranked by their total Team Points; then total Speaker Ranking Points.  Teams with equal Team Points and equal Ranking Position Points will then, if those teams have debated each other during the competition (including debates decided by forfeit), be ranked according to the overall outcome of such debates.

Finals

7.9

At the conclusion of the preliminary rounds, there will be finals for each Class Group as follows:

7.9.1

7.9.2

7.9.3

7.9.4

TOPICS

8.1

The first team named in the roster will always be the affirmative.

Short Preparation

8.2

The Competition Coordinator will issue the topic at the venue of the debate one hour prior to the scheduled starting time for the debate.

8.3

Only one topic will be issued.

8.4

Once a debater has received the topic for his or her short preparation debate he or she cannot speak or communicate with any person apart from:

8.4.1

another member of their team;

8.4.2

the Competition Coordinator or other TDU Official; or

8.5

The only reference material that can be used in preparation for a Short Preparation debate is an unannotated dictionary.

FORFEITS / POSTPONEMENTS

Forfeits

9.1

If a team is not ready to debate within 5 minutes of the scheduled starting time for the debate and has not arranged for the debate to be postponed, that team will be deemed to have forfeited.

Postponed Debates

9.2

A team unable to debate at the scheduled time can, at any time at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled time, postpone that debate. 

9.3

It is the responsibility of the team requesting the postponement of a debate to:

9.3.2

advise the Competition Coordinator of arrangements made for the postponed debate at least 48 hours before the debate is to be held; and

9.3.3

pay the TDU Adjudication Postponement Fee.

9.5

Once notified of the date, time and venue for the postponed debate, the Competition Coordinator will arrange an adjudicator to adjudicate the postponed debate.

9.6

A debate in the last preliminary round cannot be postponed, and all postponed debates must be held on or before the last preliminary round.

ROSTER ALTERATIONS

10.1

The Roster can only be altered in writing, and all schools will be deemed to have notice of any alteration two clear school days after the day on which the notice was transmitted by facsimile or email.