The Collision Stage at Sunrise 2025 lit up on Tuesday afternoon as the ever-entertaining Debate Club returned for a high-octane showdown to determine once and for all: “Science Fiction vs. Economists — Who Predicts the Future Better?”
And while the crowd came for some well timed, end of the day chaos, they stayed for the clever jabs, big ideas, and pitch-perfect mic drops. With six fiery speakers, one brilliantly sassy MC (take a bow, Arushi Srivastava), and a panel of razor-sharp judges including B&T’s very own Greg “Sparrow” Graham and Aimee Edwards, it was standing-room only at the theatre-in-the-round.
Team Sci-Fi — led by Orsi, Vinisha Rathod, and Ali Skiba — argued that imagination is the true engine of the future. From Black Mirror and The Simpsons to Jules Verne and Arthur C. Clarke, they made the case that fiction doesn’t just foresee technology, it inspires it.
“Sci-fi writers aren’t just predicting the future — they’re vibrating it into existence,” one speaker mused.
But Team Economist — Trina Ray Choudhury, Steph Darmanin, and Taylor Denny— didn’t flinch. They brought cold, hard facts to the party, pointing out that while sci-fi loves a gadget, economists actually shape policy, influence markets, and help governments and industries plan.
“Dreaming is easy,” one speaker quipped. “Forecasting is hard. Economists do the hard stuff.”
The rebuttals were spicy, the closing arguments tight, and the audience split. But when the judges tallied their scores, it was Team Economist that took home the metaphorical trophy.
The audience, however, had other ideas — siding with Team Sci-Fi by 53% in the live poll.
Shoutout to the Debate Club crew for another electric event. If the future belongs to those who show up — this crew’s got it covered.
Debate Club will be joining us again in Cairns Crocodiles this year. Get your tickets and join the great debate!
