The Great Equality Debate at Curtin University

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The annual equal opportunity debate was held again this year for Curtin Urban and Regional Planning students at the university and this year the topic was 'The attribute of physical appearance may be included in a review of the Equal Opportunity Act.'
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Commission staff with debating teams

The affirmative team were picked as the winners of the debate for their argument's structure and the team's depth of research.

Community Education and Training Officer Greg Watson said the affirmative team made an especially strong point about the correlation between productivity and inclusion in the workplace.

"One of the speakers for the affirmative team, in particular, had quoted from studies that found organisations which respected and supported diversity inclusion also had greater productivity," he said.

The debate was followed by an Equal Opportunity Law training session for the students, who discussed age discrimination in accommodation as an issue impacting that cohort.

"This is a common theme that comes up when discussing discrimination with students, which may also be exacerbated by the chronic shortage of housing in Perth and it was a good topic to discuss during Homelessness Week," Greg said.