A group of our Year 7 Gifted and Talented students engaged in a passionate debate yesterday about reintroducing the death penalty in Australia.
The classroom was split with seven students arguing the case for the death penalty, and seven against.
The debate raised questions of ethics and humanity, rehabilitation, revenge, time spent on death row and wrongful convictions, with students referencing the Lindy Chamberlain case. They also discussed death penalty punishments in the US and China.
Humanities and Social Sciences Associate Dean Linda Thain said the students had done a lot of research and were very passionate about their views.
“The debate showcased some great ideas and wonderful speakers, but also encouraged others to consider valued rebuttals,” she said. “It was wonderful to see them all engaged and fiercely committed to sharing their views.”