Guangzhou, China. July, 2025.
There are 50 teams of three and 58 individual adjudicators in a room filled with chairs facing a projected screen.
The screen lists a spreadsheet, pitting teams against each other, alongside two, three, or four adjudicators.
There’s tangible tension in the hall, and a collective fatigue that dominates conversation.
Representatives from 60 per cent of the world’s population have gathered here. Top minds, ambitious undergraduates, future leaders. These are the faces of big business and court rooms to come.
Today, that future doesn’t matter. What counts is the next 30 minutes: pens, paper, and a timed bell.
On the menu today are a variety of topics: same sex schooling, housing crisis responses, and the future of our democracy, all to be decided through a series of eight speeches.
The grand final asks the final question: “Is is in the interests of Pacific Island nations threatened by rising seas, to prioritise purchasing land from neighbouring developing countries for the future relocation, over negotiating pathways to permanent residence in developed countries?”
This happens 10-14 times over one week. 50 teams will become 16, which will become eight, then four, and finally, a grand final between two. Some of these teams have attended dozens of these gatherings. Some will do this once, and afterwards, never again.
This is the typical scene at an Australian University debating tournament: specifically, last year’s Australian Intervarsity Debating Championships (‘Australs’).
Established in 1975, Australs is the largest annual English-language debating tournament in the Asia-Pacific region: the second-largest on Earth.
After a lengthy bidding process, it is set to be held in Wollongong this year, marking the first in-person Australian edition of the tournament since 2017.
Australs cocConvener and former president of the Wollongong Debating Society (known as UOW Swords), Emma Thompson began organising the tournament in collaboration with Robert Barrie in November last year, following the departure of original convener and former Swords President, Sam Nicholls.
In a press release, Mr Nicholls said the reasons for stepping away from the role came from ‘life getting in the way.’
“This wasn’t an easy decision, but in wanting what’s best for everyone involved and the community more generally, I’m prepared to make it,” Mr Nicholls said.
Organising the Australs is a substantial task, and the team behind it is expected to provide for representatives of eleven countries.
Amid the home stretch of the organisational process, Australs Co-Convener Emma Thompson, 26, said the timeframe had put an additional strain on her team.
“It has been quite difficult, because we’re doing a year’s worth of work in about 7 months,” she said.
“[Usually] there would have been a lot more groundwork done… Australs isn’t stressful or time-consuming, but when you condense it into a shorter time frame, it’s a bit more stressful than it needed to be.
“I’m fortunate because Rob [Barrie] is very experienced. He knows what we need to do, and when we need to do it.
“He convened the Campbelltown Australs during COVID, he convened Macquarie UTS Easters, so his experience has been beneficial.”
This year’s financial records for Australs are inaccessible, aside from the registration costs, which total $880 per participant. However, certain aspects of accounting for an international tournament are publicly available.
Australs is the second-largest competition in international debating, and the third-largest is the European University Debating Championships (EUDC), which works as the Northern Hemisphere’s premier tournament.
Last year’s edition, which was held in Copenhagen, which was organised on a final budget to the equivalent of just under 390,000 AUD.
These figures cover accommodation, which usually takes the form of a luxury hotel for participants. It covers catering for hundreds over the course of ten days; provided in collaboration with Aspire Events.
It also accounts for the social events filling the time between rounds, merchandising, travel funds for international participants, physical trophies, and more. The scope of these events is undeniable.
The additional time constraints has resulted in changes to the tournament dates and a frantic race to confirm bookings for physical space.
Ms Thompson, who graduated from UOW in 2022, said the pressures were expected by the convening team.
“I do feel a lot of pressure from international participants,” she said.
“I know they’re putting in a significant economic investment into the tournament. I am trying to help as much as I can with visas, things like that.
“The accommodation is at Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort, and they were so helpful.
“We looked at the accommodation that had been promised in the original bid, and it was tens of thousands of dollars above budget.
“Once we reached out to [them], they were willing to work with us and our deadlines. They gave us a great deal… That was when we were like, okay, we can do the competition. It will work.”
Ms Thompson said that whilst there is a sense of urgency to maintain the standard set at previous events, there’s also an understanding that there is an opportunity in hosting an event like Australs.
Jakarta, into Guangzhou, into Wollongong.
Australian Debating Council president, Angus Braiden is acting as a University Liaison for the competition.
Mr Braiden, who also serves as President of UOW Swords, has suggested it marks a turning point not only for the society, but for Australian debating.
“[In the circuit,] it was essentially conceded that Australia’s never going to host [Australs] again, because it’s just too expensive for international institutions to attend,” he said.
“We have high visa costs, and we have a higher currency rate.”
Mr Braiden said it’s harder to be involved in Australian debating and that the UOW Swords, which was established two decades ago, was the only debating society in the country that exists outside of a capital city.
“Hopefully, over time, doing things like this means that we don’t have to punch above our weight anymore,’ he said
“We can just go up a weight class.”
Recreating scenes from Guangzhou, the team will host 226 representatives at UOW’s McKinnon building between July 1-8. Students from Korea, Indonesia and New Zealand, among others, will gather to mark a week of nerves and ambition.
It’s only a matter of time before the champions are crowned.
Feature Image: Em Barrett, Xavier Konynenburg and Josh Qin were crowned champions at the National Championships in April. Source: Robert Barrie
Additional Reporting: Evie Allen & Rachael Gregory
