Event Details

Australian Institute of Management presents
2008 Mackay Great Debate

Date: Friday 7 November 2008
Location: Mackay
Seating: Tables of 8

2008 Topic - " That Gen (wh)Y make better leaders than Gen What, When, Where and How ". Don't miss your chance to hear local personalities tackle this provocative topic with humour and poignancy.

The debate will pit Queensland's top three debaters from Pioneer State High School against Mackay Mayor Col Meng, John Glanville of Autocorner and David Aprile of Healthpoint Chemist Group. The high school students will, of course, be arguing the positive while the Boomers will be fighting for the negative.

The generation gap becomes evident when you consider that when Mackay Major Col Meng was at school, he worked on a slate, and his current Year 12 counterparts have all the information in the world at their fingertips via the web. What better way to discuss intergenerational relationships than to do it from the perspective of each generation!

The event will be held at the Mackay Entertainment Centre, bookings will be limited to 150.

AIM's Management Debate is set to invade Mackay this November

2008 Debaters Announced!

Team - Affirmative

• Award Winning Pioneer State High School Debating Team

Team - Negative

• CR Col Meng – Inaugural Mayor, Mackay Regional Council
• David Aprile - Managing Director of Healthpoint Chemist Holdings
• John Glanville - Dealer Principal of Auto Corner

"Debates are a terrific way to explore management issues," said John Fordyce FAIM, Mackay Committee Chairman.

"We couldn't resist wading into the generational discussion…despite economic circumstances and world events, the tight employment market and multi-generations at work are still issues that are on many organisations' minds."

AIM has a strong commitment to developing young leaders so that they benefit from good management practice and exposure to the very best thinking from an early age.

"That's why we've asked the Apex State Debating Champions from Pioneer State High School to field a team for the topic, That Gen (wh)Y make better leaders than Gen What, How, When and Where.

On the other side, well known Mackay business identities will present the opposite argument.

"There is no better way to discuss intergenerational relationships than to do it from the perspective of each generation," Mr Fordyce said.

Pioneer Award Winning Debate Team

Pioneer's Debating Team are the best in the state following their recent win in the final of the Apex State Debating Competition.  After traveling to Mudjimba on the Sunshine Coast, the Pioneer team, blitzed through their heats and soon saw themselves in the Semi-finals against Kirwan State High School from Townsville.   "Do you think that Uni students should be required to do voluntary work?"  Well the girls sure convinced the adjudicators with their negative argument, advancing them through to the Finals.  Nanango State High School were their opponents in the all important and daunting Final.  With a negative stance to "Australia giving Burma $3 million in relief funds", the trio were victorious once again.

The top team in Queensland, Caitlyn, Essie and Emma traveled to Toowoomba on July 21 to represent the Sunshine State in the National Competition, where they took out third place and proved that this trio of Generation Y's were one to watch our for.

Ronlyn Fisher - Senior English Teacher, Pioneer State High School