Small claims tribunals across Australia — NCAT in NSW, VCAT in Victoria, QCAT in Queensland, SAT in WA, SACAT in SA, ACAT in the ACT, NTCAT in the NT, and the Magistrates Court of Tasmania — are designed for self-represented parties. That does not mean evidence is optional. It means the tribunal expects you to do the organising yourself, and judges your case on whether you have done so well.
The evidence pyramid
Every well-organised small claims case has the same shape. At the base sit the raw documents — contracts, invoices, photographs, text messages, emails. Above them sits a chronology — a single page listing every relevant event with the date and the document reference. Above that sits the witness statement — your first-person narrative tying the documents together. At the top sits the hearing bundle — the paginated, indexed compilation handed to the tribunal member.
The simple system that works
- One folder per case — physical or digital, never mixed
- Sub-folders by category — contract, invoices, communications, photographs, demands
- Date every file name — “2026-03-14 invoice 1042.pdf” sorts itself chronologically
- One chronology document — table format, dates in column 1, event in column 2, document reference in column 3
- Print three copies for the hearing — one for you, one for the other side, one for the member
Common pitfalls
Three habits lose small claims hearings. Bringing a phone full of screenshots — the tribunal member cannot mark, refer back to, or rely on evidence that lives only on a screen. Unsorted documents — handing the member a stack of unsorted papers tells them you cannot prove what you assert. Missing originals — for many disputes (especially handwritten contracts and signed documents), the original needs to be available for inspection.
What the witness statement does
The witness statement is the document that pulls everything together. It walks the member through your chronology in numbered paragraphs, exhibits each document at the right moment, and gives the member a single readable narrative. Without it, the evidence is a pile. With it, the evidence is a case.
What Claim Done delivers
For a flat $79, Claim Done drafts your Witness Statement in tribunal-ready format — numbered paragraphs, properly exhibited annexures, statement of truth and signature block. We work from your raw documents and build the chronology into the statement automatically. About 15 minutes in the wizard, no solicitor appointment.
What happens after
Once the witness statement is filed and served under directions, the next step is collating everything into a Hearing Bundle for the hearing day — also a flat-fee Claim Done service.