Topics

Chief Adjudicator: Seamus Coleman
Deputy Chief Adjudicators: Lauren Humphrey, Tim Mooney

Round 1

Law & Order

Songs: Theme from Law & Order, Bad Boys (theme from Cops), and You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon

Rejected topics

That we should catch Obama and elect Osama
That we should end the proliferation of ‘Law & Order’ television spin-offs.
That we should unleash Dog the Bounty Hunter.
That you can taze me anytime.

Topics

That we should use racial profiling as a tool of law enforcement.
That we should use torture in domestic law enforcement against convicted criminals who have information which could prevent future deaths.
That Australia should provide South East Asian nations with any information regarding drug trafficking even if this may lead to Australians receiving the death penalty.

Round 2

Education and Social Policy (sponsored by Teach for Australia)

Songs: Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd, (Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard by Cat Stevens

Rejected topics

That we should require all teachers to receive a breathalyzer test at the start of each work day.
That all students should receive a comprehensive drug education (learning through doing).
That we should enforce upon the Vatican the doctrine of ‘an eye for an eye’.

Topics

That we should require the ordination of female and homosexual priests, reverends, mullahs, rabbis or whatever...
That we should ban the teaching of abstinence-only policies in schools.
That Australians should have the right to have their family and financial disputes heard before a religious court with the agreement of all parties.

Round 3

Family

Songs: Daddy I'm Fine by Sínead O'Connor, Papa Don't Preach by Kelly Osborne, Sisters are Doin' It for Themselves by Eurythmics

Rejected topics

That big love is good love.
That every soon-to-be father should be kicked in the balls every five minutes whilst his wife is in labour.
That we should mandate sibling incest.

Topics

That we should legalise commercial surrogacy.
That we should provide financial incentives for fathers to live with their child and its mother.
That we should legalise sibling incest.

Round 4

The Media

Songs: Radio Ga Ga by Queen, We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel

Rejected topics

That Michael Moore should be forced to appear naked in all his documentaries.
That Ann Coulter is a reanimated corpse.
That we should assassinate Rupert Murdoch.

Topics

That we should ban the embedding of journalists in armies during wartime to maintain media independence
That we should implement a national internet filter
That Western States should fine companies which comply with Chinese laws censoring pro-democracy media

Round 5

Debating

Rejected topics

That AIDA should abolish all affirmative action requirements
That empirical motions are the death of debating
That we should scrap the cap¹

¹Fuck off, Sydney²
²Fuck you, Seamus

Economics

Songs: Gold Digger by Kanye West, I Love Work by Butterfingers

Topics

That we should abolish all intellectual property
That we should impose a 100 percent tax on inheritance
That the government should cease paying welfare to people living in areas where there is no prospect of them obtaining work

Round 6

Environment

Songs: Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil, Chinese Translation by M Ward, Big Yellow Taxi by Bob Dylan

Rejected topics

That we should charge with murder those that kill great apes
That we should give trees legal standing to sue in court and run for elections. Vote 1 Eucalyptus.
That we should legalise the clubbing of Canadians by seals
That we should legalise the hunting of the most dangerous game of all: man
That we should ban the factory farming of Ian Hutcheon

Topics

That climate sceptics without relevant qualifications should be banned from appearing in the media
That we should end the moratorium on commercial whaling
That the government should not allow the construction of new homes outside the existing geographic boundaries of major Australian cities

Octo-finals

Health

Songs: Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil, Chinese Translation by M Ward, Big Yellow Taxi by Bob Dylan

Rejected topics

That Dr Who has the right medicine for my crushing loneliness
That we should deliberately crash a car into Ned Douglas, in a final macabre act of public health awareness
That we should fund treatments to normalise autism
That we should make the doors to emergency rooms smaller

Topics

That the government should provide drugs to addicts
That we should allow the advertising of all prescription medicine
That the government should outsource the provision of healthcare to private corporations

Quarter-finals

Democracy

Songs: Theme from The West Wing by W. G. "Snuffy" Walden, No Motherland Without You by Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, Reunification Rainbow by Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble

Rejected topics

That Bart Stupak can have my babies
That Team America should be the world police
That this House would prefer Palin’s porn-star doppelganger
That The West Wing is the best wing. (Thanks, Amit.)

Topics

That we should ban hate speech even where it does not directly incite violence
That we should abolish the filibuster in the US Senate
That we should allow political parties to designate certain pre-election claims as binding promises, the breaking of which would trigger immediate elections

Semi-finals

International

Songs: Around the World by Daft Punk

Rejected topics

That the Inter-American Court of Human Rights should establish a unicameral democracy in Djibouti
(the other rejected topics are sadly lost - please email me if you remember them)

Topics

That we should create a truth and reconciliation commission with the power to grant amnesties in Sri Lanka
That we should provide a guarantee of military intervention to protect democratically elected governments in the Pacific
That Israel should abduct and prosecute perpetrators of the holocaust where the country in which they are present refuses to extradite them for any reason

Grand Final

Minority Issues

Songs: Young Hearts Run Free by Kym Mazelle

Rejected topics

That we should decide the Grand Final of Easters by audience vote
That we should stop searching for the elusive skinny black jeans gene (Thanks, Amit.)
That AIDA should introduce Affirmative Action requirements for non-gay debaters
That this House would act to prevent the exploitation of deluded gay people by Lady Gaga

Topics

That the gay community should out closeted gay celebrities
That we should allow children to elect to have gender reassignment surgery
That African American celebrities should not use the term ‘nigger’