The Australian Women's Debating Championship (AWDC) is a prestigious national tournament for female university debaters. Established to address the under-representation of women in the traditionally male-dominated sport of debating, this tournament provides a forum for skills development, showcasing the skills of world-class debaters and improving the confidence of novices.

This year the Australian National University will be hosting the tournament, which will run from Friday the 30th of September to Monday the 3rd of October. Debaters and adjudicators from the furthest reaches of this wide brown land will travel to Canberra on this weekend to enjoy a fun and rewarding experience. In addition to a packed program of debating and skills training, the organisers have put together an awesome social package in recognition of the immortal words of Cyndi Lauper: "Girls just wanna have fun!". There'll be bar crawls, a band night, a trivia night, a fairy party, a tournament scavenger hunt and more!

Canberra is a lovely city to visit, especially in Spring, and we hope that tournament participants will take advantage of their time here to see the sights and enjoy the natural beauty of the Bush Capital, the political polish of the Nation's capital and the friendly people of Australia's heartland. Canberra is home to many national monuments, including: Old and New Parliament Houses, the High Court, the National Library of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, the National War Memorial and the National Museum (the Grand Final venue). The ANU campus (where the tournament is to be based) is situated in Canberra's city centre, stretching from the shores of beautiful Lake Burley Griffin to the wild slopes of Black Mountain, to the bustling CBD.

Further, the 2005 Championship itinerary hopes to introduce interstate participants to Canberra's best social and culinary spots. Because the tournament coincides with Floriade, competitors will have the opportunity to make the most of their trip by going to see the famous flower exhibition as part of their stay.

Some ex-prime ministers at Floriade 2004

The Organising Committee is trying to keep registration costs as low as possible. We have set the figure at $150 a person. The price includes accommodation for Friday, Saturday and Sunday (1-3 October), venue hire, as well as most meals. Please click on the Registration link and fill out the online form to register a team or adjudicator.

Participants in AWDC 2005 will be staying at the lovely University House, on campus, a short walk from the city, the lake and the National Museum. Preliminary round debates and meals will also be provided on campus.

With a membership of around 230 the ANU Debating Society is one of the largest and most active clubs on campus. Despite its size the society has always fostered a friendly and informal atmosphere held together by a hard working and reliable committee. Besides weekly debates, the Society is also involved in running exhibition debates as well as a school competition adjudication scheme.

Because of its continued contribution to campus life, the Society has always enjoyed the backing of the ANU Studentellor, Professor Malcolm Gillies in recognition of the important contribution the society makes to campus life and the community at large.

Run on a non-profit basis, the ANU Debating Society continues to train, develop and send debaters off to national and world debating competitions. Furthermore, members of the society organise and run local schools debating competitions. The Society is reliant upon sponsorship for its continuing existence and function and we strive to ensure that talent, hard work and skill are never be held back by discrimination, situation or price.