Opening of applications for Australs 2012 DCAs

[On behalf of the Victoria University Debating Society]
Dear all

The Victoria University of Wellington Debating Society is pleased to open the selection process for up to three Deputy Chief Adjudicators (DCAs) for Australs 2012. The reason for the increase from two to three further additions to the Adjudication Team is because Steve Hind has unfortunately had to pull out.

Applications for DCA positions are now being accepted, and will be open until midnight on Sunday 15 April.

If you are interested in becoming a DCA, please complete an application form and email the CA, Stephen Whittington, at whittington.stephen@gmail.com. If there are any questions about the form, please get in touch with Steve.

The application form is available at: http://www.australs2012.com/dca_application_form.doc.

On Monday 16 April, a list of the applicants will be circulated via the Australs, All-Asians and AUDC mailing lists for feedback.

At this point people should feel free to email the CA with their feedback on any or all of the candidates. All communication will be treated in the strictest confidence, and all feedback provided by the Austral-Asian community will be considered. The successful applicant(s) will be announced on Friday 27 April.

Please note that we have no fixed views on whether two or three additional DCAs will be appointed.

Kind regards,
Johanna McDavitt
Co-convener

MAD Mini 2012

Hello everyone!
As many of you will have heard, MAD Mini is an upcoming tournament hosted at Monash Caulfield between the 10th and the 12th of February, aimed at easing new and old debaters back into the swing of things before University rears its ugly head. As many of you pay not know, however, registration for MAD Mini is now open! You can register at our website (http://www.madmini.me), and we advise you to as soon as possible to give us the best idea of numbers for all that food and alcohol you'll be consuming over the weekend. Registration is $50 for debaters and $30 for adjudicators, and we'll send through payment information as soon as you register.


If you scroll through the Facebook event description or look at the website, you'll also see a number of updates, including a new schedule, and information about our awesome social functions. There's also the option to purchase food for dinner on Sunday night after the Grand Final, and we hope you'll all join us for some excellent (and affordable) pub food at the Racecourse Hotel to celebrate the (undoubtedly excellent) debate.


If you are travelling from interstate (or even just very far away in Melbourne), then are offering a free billeting service for your needs. Just let us know on the registration form if you'll be requiring a bed, and our volunteers will happily put you up for no charge. You should also let us know if you need a lift from the airport, so that you aren't stranded out at Tullamarine. Equally, if you're willing to put people up for the weekend, don't hesitate to volunteer!


As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at enquiries@madmini.me. You can also follow us on Twitter and RSVP to the Facebook Event.

Look forward to seeing you all at MAD Mini 2012!

-- Stephen Moore

Monash Debating Review Volume 9 is now available‏

Dear Debating Community!

Volume 9 of the Monash Debating Review (MDR) is now live! Edited by Worlds Co-Chief Adjudicator Doug Cochran with the assistance of an illustrious International Editorial Board, including World Champion Victor Finkel, Volume 9 promises to be an exceptional contribution to academic discussion of debating.

Volume 9 features

• A concise introduction to debates about economics by Worlds Semi-Finalist Harish Natarajan;
• A feature article examining potential options for expanding the Worlds break by Eric Barnes, Andy Hume and Steven Johnson; and
• A fascinating look at Rwandan debating by World Champion Will Jones.

Volume 9 can be downloaded here.

If you have any questions about the MDR, please email mdr@monashdebaters.com. We will be opening applications for next year's editorial panel in early 2012.

-- Monash Association of Debaters PO Box 10, Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia http://www.monashdebaters.com

MAD mini 2012‏

The Monash Association of Debaters (MAD) is proud to announce we will be holding MAD mini (for the third year running) at Monash University, Caulfield Campus - Melbourne, Australia. The tournament will be running from the 10th - 12th of Feb 2012 and star Gemma Buckley, (Women's 2011 Grand-Finalist, Australs 2011 Semi-Finalist, Worlds 2011 Semi-Finalist) as chief adjudicator and Ed Miller, (Winner and Best Speaker of UNSW IV, Quarter-Finalist at Australs 2011) as DCA.

Here's why you should come:
    - Rounds upon rounds of 3 on 3 debating with POIs
    - A billeting system for Interstate (or country) participants to save on accommodation
    - Prestigious competitors and competitive debating
    - Amazing socials and too much alcohol
    - Enough food to soak up all that alcohol!

All the available details can be found on the website - madmini.me
Or, if you're feeling more social:
Facebook: on.fb.me/MADM2012

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MAD_mini2012

Sydney Mini 2011 results

The largest ever Australian British Parliamentary Debating Champs (Sydney Mini) finished yesterday.

Winners: Dominic Bowes & Sriram Srikumar (Sydney)
Runners-Up: Amit Golder & Kiran Iyer (Monash), Elle Jones & Daniel Swain (Sydney), Dave Stephens & Anthony Smith (Queensland)

Top 10 speakers:
1. Amit Golder (Monash)
2. Patrick Caldwell (Sydney)
3. Daniel Swain (Sydney)
4= Stephen Whittington (Victoria)
4= Chris Bisset (Monash)
6. Rob Chiarella (Sydney)
7. Bronwyn Cowell (Sydney)
8. Kiran Iyer (Monash)
9= Elle Jones (Sydney)
9= Paul Karp (Sydney)

Breaking teams were, in order:

1. Pat Caldwell & Paul Karp (Sydney)
2. Elle Jones & Daniel Swain (Sydney)
3. Chris Bisset & Madeleine Schultz (Monash)
4. Amit Golder & Kiran Iyer (Monash)
5. Udayan Mukherjee & Stephen Whittington (Victoria)
6. Rob Chiarella & Bec Barrett (Sydney)
7. Dominic Bowes & Sriram Srikumar (Sydney)
8. Kelly Butler & Steph D'Souza (Melbourne)
9. Steph Thompson & Ben Milsom (Auckland)
10. Jeremy Rich & Kristen Price (Composite)
11. Bronwyn Cowell & Meredith Prior (Composite)
12. Dave Stephens & Anthony Smith (Queensland)
13. Drew Cason & Sarah Carpenter (Alaska)
14. Seb Templeton & Richard D'Ath (Victoria)
15. Tim Blair & Monique Hardinge (Monash)
16. Alec Dawson & Paul Hunt (Otago)

Monash B win Melbourne Mini

Monash B (Amit Golder and Kiran Iyer) won the recent Melbourne Mini. They also topped the team tab and Amit Golder was also best speaker.

For more details visit here

Motions:

Round 1: THW sell uranium to India
Round 2: THBT Facebook should remove pages that joke about rape
Round 3: THW take drastic action against Syria
Round 4: THW break up companies deemed too big to fail
Round 5: THBT marriage licenses should have to be renewed periodically
Round 6: THW ban all blood sports involving animals
Semi-finals: THW allow healthcare providers to opt out of an abortion at any stage, including before or after care
Grand Final: THBT the US should support Palestine's bid for statehood

Monash wins the Victoria IV

Monash University has won the Victoria IV (New Zealand British Parliamentary Debating Champs) held in Wellington from November 18-20, defeating two teams from Victoria University and Auckland University in the Grand Final.

Chief Adjudicators: Christopher Bishop & Tim Mooney

Winners: Monash (Amit Golder & Kiran Iyer)

Runners-Up: Victoria University (Richard D'Ath & Seb Templeton), Auckland University (Josh Baxter & Nupur Upadhyay), Victoria University (Udayan Mukherjee & Ella Edginton).

Semi-finalists: Composite (Kieran Bunn & Aric Shakur), Auckland University (Steph Thompson & Ben Milsom), UNSWA (David Ong & Matthew Cobb Clark), Veterans (Joe Connell & Kevin Moar)

Top 10 speakers:
1. Amit Golder (Monash) 511
2. Richard D'Ath (Victoria) 498
3. Ella Edginton (Victoria) 492
4= Kiran Iyer (Monash) 488
4= Akif Mallick (Auckland) 488
4= Kevin Moar 488
4= Joe Connell 488
8= Stephanie Thompson (Auckland) 487
8=Udayan Mukherjee (Victoria) 487
10= Matthew Cobb Clark (UNSW A) 482
10= Ben Milsom (Auckland) 482
10= Polly Higbee 482
10= Seb Templeton (Victoria) 482

Motions:
1. This House would ban child beauty pageants
2. This House believes Israel should unilaterally preemptively strike Iran
3. This House believes that individuals should be required by governments to invest a defined portion of their salary for their retirement
4. This House would forcibly remove the homeless from the streets and place them in mental institutions or rehabilitation
5. This House would consign the European Union to the dustbin of history
6. This house supports comprehensive parental leave paid for by employers
Semi: This House would camp out in solidarity with the "Occupy" protestors
Final: This House believes newly democratised Arab nations should not allow religious parties to run for office

Melbourne Mini 2011

Melbourne University Debating Society would like to invite you to participate in Melbourne Mini 2011. This year, we would like to make the tournament as large and exciting as possible by extending an invitation to all overseas contingents interested. Get ready for a weekend of high quality debates, amazing food and fantastic socials!

It will be run from the afternoon of Friday 2nd of December to Sunday 4th of December. This year it will be held at the University of Melbourne Law School, inviting some of the best debaters and adjudicators in the world to polish up their skills before the upcoming Worlds in Manila, as well as those who are looking to develop their skills in the BP format. It will include 6 rounds of debates, the semis and grand final as well as plenty of opportunities to socialise at the opening night drinks, Championship dinner and after party as well as the farewell drinks on Sunday.

The deadline for registration and payment is the 6pm, Friday November 25th. The registration fees will be $60 for debaters and $40 for adjudicators. Hope to see you there!

Monash AWDC 2011‏ Results

A big congratulations is in order for UQ 1′s Kristen Price and Emily Chalk for winning the Grand Final!

A video of their exploits is online now! Watch it here.

The full Speaker Rankings and Team Standings are now available, and you can see the top speakers from the tournament below. Please note that the tab does not account for ironmanning or replacement swing debaters, and they have simply been incorporated into the main speaker score.

Final:
Opening Gov USU 2
Opening Opp Monash 6
Closing Gov USU 1
Closing Opp UQ 1

Semi Finals
Semi 1 USU 1 USU 2 Monash 3 Melbourne 2
Semi 2 UQ 1 Monash 6 USU 5 USU 4

Top Speakers
Ninth – Sasha Lytas, Brontë Lambourne and Rebecca Barrett
Eighth – Alex Downie
Seventh – Emily Chalk
Sixth – Gemma Buckley
Fifth – Colette Mintz and Kristin Price
Third – Kelly Butler and Nina Ubaldi
First – Joanna Connolly 

Motions
Grand Final: This house believes that the feminist movement should adopt the word slut.
Semi Final: This house would establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate sexual abuse within the Catholic Church
Rd 6: This house would refuse to uphold confidential out-of-court settlements
Rd 5: That this house would oust the Karzai administration
Rd 4: This house supports democratic education.
Rd 3: This House would redistribute, aggressively and without compensation, all land taken from black South Africans during apartheid.
Rd 2: This house believes that, in times if economic crisis, economic bodies should withhold information that may damage market confidence.
Rd 1: That this House would never prosecute child soldiers for crimes committed during war.

Sydney win UNSW IV

The University of Sydney Union (USU) team of Ed Miller and Annie Gribble have won the University of New South Wales IV 2011. In the final they defeated UNSW (Angela Kintominas and Sean Lawson), Sydney (Joseph Ware and Sara Smylie) and  Monash (Duncan Wallace and Nicole Franklin).

The top speaker was Ed Miller from Sydney

The tab is available at https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwaFA0se2LlfYmNiYzNmM2YtNjI0Zi00Y2E0LWI0NjMtODI4ZGM2M2FiYWU0&hl=en_US

Motions
R1 This house regrets the extrajudicial killing of Voldemort
R2 This house believes the world would be better without any states
R3 This house believes that politics is broken
R4 This house would not allow sentient exterrestrial aliens to be citizens of any state on the Earth
R5 This house believes that it should never be illegal to publish an intention to commit a crime
Semi-Finals This house believes that the world will lose the fight against climate change
Final This house would spend baby spend

Registration open for AWDC 2011

The Monash Association of Debaters will be hosting the Australian Women’s British Parliamentary Debating Championships in 2011 and registration is now open at http://monashdebaters.com/womens/

If you would like to register your institution, please go to the registration page. If you would also like to apply for an AIDA grant to attend the tournament, you can do so here.

Registration will close in two weeks time (Monday 8th August); please get in now to avoid missing out!

The tournament itself will run from the 23rd to the 26th of September. The registration fee will not be increasing from previous years, which means the tournament will not cost more than $220 to attend. More details will be posted as they are announced.

Monash Debating Review calls for Associate Editors

Hi All,

The Monash Debating Review, the world’s only international debating journal, is calling for applications for associate editors for the upcoming edition, due out at the end of this year.

This is a great opportunity for experienced debaters, adjudicators, and coaches to get involved in the publication of a peer-reviewed journal, all the while building their CVs and shaping the global debating community’s thinking about the activity we love. Further details below.

If you have any questions about the position, article ideas, or the MDR more generally, please do get in touch!

Best Wishes,
Doug Cochran
MDR Editor
kdc24@cam.ac.uk

DCA nominations now open for ANU Easters 2012

For Easters 2012, ANU would like to attract the best adjudication talent out there. Accordingly, we are having an open nomination process for Deputy Chief Adjudicators ('DCAs'). Nominations are open now, and will close on 30 May 2011.

Please go to: http://anueasters.com/adjudication for an online nomination form, and either nominate yourself or someone who you think would do an amazing job. You should receive a confirmation email shortly after submitting your online nomination. If this does not happen, please contact me.

Please remember that we are not necessarily looking for the best debaters - we are looking for great ADJUDICATORS: people who will set good topics, assess debates fairly, and provide teams with outstanding feedback. As such, we really encourage everyone to apply or to nominate a person who fits the bill.

Nominations will remain confidential. After the Easters 2012 Committee has reviewed the nominations we will announce the successful DCAs.

We really look forward to receiving your nominations.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at claudia.newman.martin@... if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

Best wishes
Claudia Newman-Martin
Chief Adjudicator of ANU Easters 2012

Monash win Easters

From monash_debaters

Monash wins Easters 2011 in a 5-4 split decision! Congratulations to Monash 6 and ANU 1 on an excellent and close grand final!

To watch the final visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/monash-debaters

Live stream from "Easters"

Monash Debaters have a live stream of the Easters Tournament in Australia

Visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/monash-debaters for the live debates or for videos of previous debates in the competition.


Streaming Video by Ustream.TV