Welcome to the DAV Website
The DAV is a non-profit association which exists to promote debate. It
is the peak debating body in Victoria and runs large competitions for
adults and for schools across Victoria. It provides training and
resources for debaters, teachers and adjudicators.
Schools Competition Resource Guides
The DAV publishes a Resource Guide which provides a brief for particular topics to facilitate student research for prepared topic debates. If feedback from a regional night held early in a round indicates that a topic is causing difficulties, additional detail will be added to the Resource Guide entry for that topic (but this is the only intervention we will undertake).
The Resource Guide is not a substitute for proper preparation, and its aim is simply to help you prepare your own case. You should not structure your case around the questions asked, nor should you rely too heavily only on the articles to which we provide links. Any ideas that the Resource Guide gives you will need to be explained just like any other material.
Resource Guides will be developed by our experienced adjudicating team and will be published over the coming weeks with priority given to earliest rounds. If you do not see a guide here yet, please check back again soon.
A guide on how to approach Secret Topics can be found here.
A Grade
Round 1: That, instead of being elected, members of Parliament should be randomly selected
Round 2: That we should criminally prosecute companies that use sweatshops
Round 3: Secret Topic
Round 4: Secret Topic
Round 5: Secret Topic
B Grade
Round 1: That we should allow pill testing at music festivals
Round 2: That the government should have access to private citizens’ encrypted messages
Round 3: Secret Topic
Round 4: Secret Topic
Round 5: Secret Topic
C Grade
Round 1: That police should always carry tasers rather than guns
Round 2: That we should abolish political parties
Round 3: Advised topic area - Economics
Round 4: Secret Topic
Round 5: That too many people go to university
D Grade
Round 1: That we should ban horse racing
Round 2: That all political parties should have quotas for female candidates
Round 3: That we should abolish standardised testing (e.g. NAPLAN)
Round 4: That convicted criminals should not be allowed to publish accounts of their crimes
Round 5: That refugees should have full access to the Australian welfare system