DAV Interschool Debating

D-Grade

A big congratulations to our D-Grade team – Amy, Zac and Ace – who participated in their first debates of the D.A.V. competition this Term. A special thank you goes to Oscar Clifton, who generously stepped in at the last minute for Round 1 on a particularly steamy evening. His contribution ensured the team could still compete and gain that valuable early experience.

In Round 2, held on Wednesday 26th March, the topic was “That phone use should be taught as a learning tool in schools.” Our team approached the topic with maturity and originality, proposing that structured lessons could help students better understand and manage their phone use. Zac opened the debate with a confident and polished speech.

Ace followed up with a strong performance, earning Speaker of the Night for his well-balanced rebuttals and thoughtful development of the team’s model. Amy closed the debate with a clear, compelling summary, linking the team’s arguments to wider social values. The team claimed a convincing win over a skilled opposition from St Patrick’s College.

C-Grade

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, our C-Grade team had to forfeit their official debate. However, not wanting the evening to go to waste, the team from Ballarat and Clarendon College agreed to a practice round and our own debating coordinator stepped in to complete the line-up. The topic was “That a Universal Basic Income should be introduced for all Australians aged 16–22.”

Despite the unusual arrangement, the Ballarat High team made the most of the opportunity, presenting a well-structured model focused on more effective and targeted government support through existing measures. They were awarded the win in the practice round.

Special mention must go to Alex, who was named Best Speaker. Alex’s calm delivery and thorough command of the topic were impressive, and his experience across multiple speaking roles has made him an indispensable part of the team. Daniel also deserves recognition for stepping up to the challenging third negative role in his very first debate-style experience. His rebuttals were clear, well-targeted and demonstrated a great instinct for an argument’s structure.

Well done to all involved!

Mr. Ian Morley

Debating / Public Speaking Co-ordinator