The Tasmanian Debating Union is Tasmania's premier debating organisation for schools level competition, training and development. The TDU was founded in 1981 and is the sole Tasmanian affiliate of the Australian Debating Federation.
The TDU organises and conducts schools competitions for all levels of secondary education in southern Tasmania, and works with partners in the north of the state and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to conduct an annual statewide tournament.
The TDU also undertakes training and development of debaters and adjudicators across the state, and each year selects a team to represent Tasmania at the Australian Debating Championships.
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Every year, the TDU selects a team to represent Tasmania at the National Schools Debating Championships. Selections for the 2020 team will be held on Sunday February 16, Saturday February 29 and Sunday March 1, from 10am to 5pm in the UTAS Faculty of Law. Interested students are required to attend at least one and preferably all three of these sessions, and should register their attendance here.
Students are required to have attended the TDU's summer Debate Camp in order to be eligible for selection. Exceptions may be made for students who were unable to attend the camp due to prior commitments or other genuine incapacity; contact the President for more information.
This year, the TDU is consulting teachers, students, parents and adjudicators with a view to determining the ideal length for the Schools Competition roster. The competition currently has six rounds, with Semi-Finals and Finals held once these rounds are completed. The competition is usually scheduled to conclude at the end of term two, although postponements to finals as a result of exams and other extracurricular activities frequently mean that senior divisions conclude early in term three.
Click here to let us know your thoughts on the competition's length.
Registrations are now open for the 2020 Southern Schools Competition, Tasmania's largest inter-school debating competition. The competition is open to teams from Grades 7-12 from public and independent schools in the greater Hobart region. No previous debating experience is required to participate. Click here to register teams.
This year's competition is currently scheduled to start on Wednesday March 11, with registrations open until Friday February 28. The registration process is conducted online, using our online registration form.
The competition is currently scheduled to run for six rounds (with each team debating six times) over the first two school terms. A draft fixture can be found here, although this is subject to change.
An exhibition debate, demonstrating the rules used in the competition, will be held on Wednesday March 4. This debate will take place at the UTAS Faculty of Law, beginning at 6:30pm. All interested debaters, coaches, teachers and parents are welcome to attend.