At IDC, we pride ourselves on offering teams unique and innovative topics,
year after year. Careful consideration goes into topic selection and we also
do not involve anyone outside the Adjudication Core to generate or approve
those topics. We acknowledge that teams and their coordinators or
representatives undertake a risk when they enter competitions that do not
screen topics. To clarify what our process as an Adjudication Core is, know
that we consider the following:
- To educate debaters in the range of rhetorical techniques which are available to them;
- To encourage the development of an awareness of current affairs and other information;
- To cultivate the sensitive and appropriate discussion of a wide range of issues;
- The novelty and enjoyability of the subject matter the topic concerns,
- whether it is thought-provoking, unique and likely to result in an enjoyable debate for both teams and spectators;
- The balance of the topic, whether the topic in its construction presents an unfair burden to either side;
- The overal appropriateness of the subject matter, whether the subject matter is likely to pose a reasonable risk to any debater’s welbeing;
- The age of the debaters in the particular division, and the likelihood that it may ameliorate or exacerbate any of the above concerns surrounding enjoyability, balance and appropriateness.
2024
Education | Prefer a world | Actor | Criminal Justice
Primary Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That schools should prioritise in-class examinations over take-home assignments (e.g. research tasks, presentations, etc.) |
| 2 | That we prefer a world with ghosts |
| 3 | To be announced |
| 4 | To be announced |
| Quarterfinals | To be announced |
| Semifinals | To be announced |
| Grand Final | To be announced |
Junior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That we should ban parental monitoring apps |
| 2 | That we prefer a world without the institution of marriage |
| 3 | To be announced |
| 4 | To be announced |
| Octofinals | To be announced |
| Quarterfinals | To be announced |
| Semifinals | To be announced |
| Grand Final | To be announced |
Senior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That schools should be allowed to expel students who are violent or consistent bullies, even if there is not a school immediately willing to take them |
| 2 | That we prefer a world with the existence of oracles |
| 3 | To be announced |
| 4 | To be announced |
| Octofinals | To be announced |
| Quarterfinals | To be announced |
| Semifinals | To be announced |
| Grand Final | To be announced |
2023
Economics | Actor | Education | Hypothetical
Primary Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That government should place additional taxes on foods proven to have significant health harms (e.g. processed sugar, cured meats) |
| 2 | That, as a new father, we would opt to be a stay at home parent rather then return to the workforce |
| 3 | That all single-gender schools should rapidly transition to co-educational schools |
| 4 | That we prefer a world where any individual anonymity on the internet is impossible |
| Semifinals | That patient satisfaction (e.g. patient satisfaction surveys/patient reviews) should be the main factor which determines a doctor’s salary |
| Grand Final | That we believe that private space exploration companies (e.g. SpaceX) will do more harm than good |
Junior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That government should prioritise high employment rates at the expense of significantly slowing down technological advancement(e.g. taxing automation, setting a minimum quota for human employees, or banning/limiting use of certain technologies) |
| 2 | That, as a high-achieving student, we would choose to pursue a high-paying career path that is associated with poorer ethics (e.g. corporate law, investment banking, political lobbying) over a stable career with moderate pay (e.g. teaching, nursing) that allows for greater social impact |
| 3 | That we would ban corporations funding academic research |
| 4 | That we prefer a world where no one could hide their current true emotional state from others |
| Octofinals | That governments should lift patent protections on technologies that help (or will help, in the future) humans fight climate change |
| Quarterfinals | That we would ban out of court settlements in harassment and discrimination cases |
| Semifinals | That we should hold pharmaceutical companies liable for harms caused by the widespread misuse of their drugs e.g. overprescription, consumer misuse |
| Grand Final | That we would prefer developing the technology to terraform other planets in our solar system over searching for habitable exoplanets |
Senior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That we support the rapid global elimination of both tariff and non-tariff barriers to free trade |
| 2 | That we, as Formula One Management, would form a commercial agreement with Andretti Cadillac Racing and approve them as the 11th team in the F1 Championship |
| 3 | That publicly-funded universities should deprioritise degrees with low utilisation rates (e.g. reallocating funding, lowering admissions into the degrees) |
| 4 | That we prefer a world where excess wealth was considered shameful rather than admirable |
| Quarterfinals | That we should allow prisoners to volunteer for socially utile but undesirable activities in exchange for a lighter sentence (e.g. experimental drug trials, military service, hard labour) |
| Semifinals | That pharmaceutical companies and medical professionals have a moral obligation to assist countires with the death penalty in carrying out it humanely |
| Grand Final | That, assuming feasibility, we would make first contact. |
2022
Economics | Law and Justice | Social Issues | Hypothetical
Primary Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That we should ban all forms of gambling |
| 2 | That we would never give prison sentences to people found guilty of non-violent crimes |
| 3 | That we should ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media |
| 4 | That we prefer a world where smartphones were never invented |
| Semifinals | That schools should substantially reduce reliance on paper |
| Grand Final | That we should prohibit countries with a poor record on human rights from hosting international sporting competitions |
Junior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That governments should cease funding space programmes (e.g. NASA) |
| 2 | That we would legalise vigilantism in areas with high rates of violent and street crime |
| 3 | That we should ban the sale and consumption of alcohol on major public holidays |
| 4 | That we prefer a world without religion |
| Quarterfinals | That we should ban imports from countries with a poor record on environmental protection |
| Semifinals | That we should implement a quota for women in leading roles in films |
| Grand Final | That we should never negotiate with terrorists |
Senior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That we would tax corporations based on negative externalities resulting from their businesses (e.g. carbon emissions, public health risks, disrupting established industries), rather than taxing their profits |
| 2 | That we support the government privatising public prosecution in complex criminal cases |
| 3 | That we should remove intellectual property protections on life-saving medicine |
| 4 | That we prefer a world where companies could perfectly determine how much effort each worker is investing in their job |
| Semifinals | That developing countries should prioritise mitigating the progress of climate change rather than adapting to its effects |
| Grand Final | That we support expanding the European Union |
2021
Social Issues | Inequality | Economics | Hypothetical
Primary Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That we should ban students from bringing unhealthy food to school |
| 2 | That we should ban private tutoring and coaching colleges |
| 3 | That the government should pay all children the same small weekly allowance |
| 4 | That we would prefer a world where no one can lie |
Junior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That the government should fund graphic advertising campaigns to discourage people from eating meat(e.g. placing images of dead animals or slaughterhouses on meat packaging) |
| 2 | That we should tax companies that replace human labour withtutoring and coaching colleges |
| 3 | That we should ban children from making money off media and competitive gaming |
| 4 | That we would prefer a world where everyone knows the date of their deathere no one can lie |
Senior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That we support non-violent property damage in order to stop climate change(e.g.blowing up pipelines, sabotaging logging equipment etc.) |
| 2 | That we should make judges spend time in jail before working in court |
| 3 | That healthcare workers should not have the right to strike during a pandemic |
| 4 | That we would prefer a world in which there are no extreme emotions(such as boiling rage, falling madly in love, extreme grief etc.) |
2020
Education | Criminal Justice | Medical Ethics | Social Media
Primary Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That we should encourage students to follow their dream job (e.g. Youtuber, actress, athlete), instead of a job with a stable income (e.g. lawyer, doctor, teacher) |
| 2 | That we should punish parents whose children bully others |
| 3 | That we should make smokers pay for their own healthcare |
| 4 | That parents should monitor the personal diaries and social media accounts of their kids |
Junior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That we should make all schools offer an online alternative to attending school in person |
| 2 | That we should punish students who witness bullying but do not report it. |
| 3 | That we should ban cosmetic plastic surgery pay for their own healthcare |
| 4 | That we should ban social media for children under the age of 16 |
Senior Division
| Rounds | Topic |
| 1 | That the government should pay cash bonuses to parents whose children significantly improve their grades at school |
| 2 | That we should make judges spend time in jail before working in courtut do not report it |
| 3 | That it should be doctors who make the final decision on significant medical issues for children, instead of parents |
| 4 | That we should ban social media for children under theThat it should be compulsory for people to use their real name online |