1. Australs features two, three-person teams taking opposite sides of a motion: the proposition side is called the affirmative, the opposition side is called the negative.
2. Each team gets half an hour to prepare once the motions are announced.
3. Speeches are eight minutes long, with a bell at one minute and another bell at seven minutes.
4. Between the first minute and the seventh minute, points of information will be allowed.
5. Summaries happen after all six speakers have given their substantive speeches. Summaries are three-to-four minutes in length, with no points of information. The negative team delivers the first summary. Either the first or the second speaker may deliver the summary.
6. Decisions are arrived at by judges individually determining their choice of winner and then casting their vote, not consensus.

In Australs-style debates, teams have a choice of motions. The motion selection process takes place as follows:

1. Teams get a choice of three motions. Each team must rank their motions in order of preference, one being their favourite, three being their least favourite.
2. Ranking something third means that your team has vetoed that topic and you are guaranteed not to debate it.
3. Once this is done, you must compare motion rankings with your opponents. If both teams have ranked the same topic first, then that motion is debated.
4. If both teams rank two different topics third, then the topic remaining is debated.
5. If both teams have vetoed the same topic, but have the two remaining topics in different orders of preference, then a coin toss will determine which motion is debated.

Click here to download a full guide to debating in the Australs format.

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