|
|
WADL Newsletter - Q3 2026
Welcome to the Q3 Newsletter for the Western Australian Debating League. Q3 has been a very busy period for the league in 2026. Most notably, our largest competition, SDC, drew to a close with the Grand Finals in late August, featuring some of the best high school debaters in Western Australia. Additionally, our other competitions for the year are in full swing. Last weekend marked the last preliminary rounds of the British Parliamentary Competition. Furthermore, the final round of the AHISA Competition was held at Perth College on Wednesday this week, followed by the second round of the Regional Debating Competition on Thursday.
|
|
|
|
SDC Grand Finals
The Grand Finals of the WADL Schools Debating Competition were held on the evening of Tuesday, 25 August 2026, at the State Library Auditorium of Western Australia, marking the conclusion of the 2026 season. 2026 has been a year of tremendous growth for SDC, making it one of our largest competitions in recent years, with 334 registered teams from 35 schools and 922 total debates. Given the size of the 2026 competition, it’s an absolutely outstanding achievement for teams to have reached the Grand Final.
|
The panel of adjudicators was incredibly impressed by the quality of debate on display from all divisional finalists. Notably, all three debates resulted in 4/3 split panels, reflecting a strong competitive spirit among all speakers in the finals.
|
We’d like to thank our school coordinators, venue hosts, and adjudicators, whose engagement and commitment make this competition possible. We look forward to seeing our debaters return next year, as we expect it to be another fantastic year of debate.
|
Riley Landau
2026 Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
|
Novice Results
Motion: "This house regrets the invention of the internet."
|
Presbyterian Ladies' College
|
|
Outcome: Negative Win (4/3 Split Decision)
|
|
Junior Results
Motion: "That, as a new parent in the present day, we would teach our child to be selfish."
|
St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
|
|
Outcome: Negative Win (4/3 Split Decision)
|
|
|
Senior Results
Motion: "This House believes that gender inequality will worsen, rather than improve, in the next 10 years."
|
|
Outcome: Affirmative Win (4/3 Split Decision)
|
|
|
|
Photo Highlights
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SDC Feedback Forms
This year, we've introduced participant feedback forms for the SDC competition. We'd love to hear about your experience as a participant in the competition. Your responses help shape the competition for years to come. It only takes 5 minutes, is completely anonymous, and helps us immensely.
|
So far, we've received 43 responses on the student form, and 3 responses on the coordinator form.
|
|
|
|
|
|
BP Debating Competition
Our British Parliamentary Debating Competition saw its final preliminary round last Sunday, with rounds at Mt Lawley Senior High School, Shenton College, Guildford Grammar School and St Stephen's School. BP is one of the most common debating formats worldwide, where students compete in pairs on the Government or Opposition side to try to convince an adjudicator that their team has brought the most important contributions to the debate. We've received strong feedback from coordinators and students who've competed this year, and would like to thank all competitors for their participation.
|
The BP semi-finals will be held at Presbyterian Ladies' College on Tuesday, 15th September, and we wish all competitors the best of luck!
|
|
For more information, visit the BP page on the WADL website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
State Squad Trials
WADL will be holding trials for the WA State Squad in November. The State Squad comprises 14 students, who will undergo 12 weeks of training and coaching. Four students will be selected from this group in early Term 1 to compete in the 2027 Perth National Schools Debating Championship.
|
|
Keep up to date with the WADL social media pages over the coming weeks for more information.
|
|
|
|
Featured Debating Guides
|
|
With the introduction of our Resource Hub in late July, we've made debating resources more accessible than ever. Here's some hand-picked articles we think you'll find interesting:
|
|
Weighing Metrics
|
|
|
Why is weighing important in debating? When adjudicators compare teams, they are not asking which team spoke better or which team had more arguments.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is the job of an extension? An extension marks the contributions made by closing – it is meant to be a unique addition to the debate that markedly improves government's or opp’s case.
|
|
|
|
|
|
League Calendar
|
Did you know WADL now has a digital public calendar? Here, you can easily access all key dates in the WADL season in a single place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
