Hearing Bundle Index and Page Numbering: A Tribunal Checklist

The registry has sent you a direction to file a hearing bundle by a specific deadline. A poorly organised bundle costs you time and makes your case harder to follow.

What is a hearing bundle and why does it matter

A hearing bundle is a single, indexed collection of all documents both parties will refer to during the tribunal hearing. It includes your application, the respondent’s defence, witness statements, contracts, invoices, photos, emails, and any other evidence.

The tribunal member needs everyone looking at the same document at the same time. If your bundle is disorganised, the member cannot follow your case.

Formatting points to check

Every tribunal has its own practice directions. Where they, or the directions in your matter, differ from this guide, follow them.

Page numbering must be continuous and in the bottom right corner. Number every page in the entire bundle from 1 to the last page. Do not restart numbering for each document. The tribunal member needs to say “turn to page 47” and have everyone land on the same page.

Documents must be in chronological order within each section. Contracts come before invoices. Invoices come before demand letters. Emails are ordered by date sent. If you mix up the timeline, the member cannot follow the sequence of events.

Use A4 paper only. Do not include A3 spreadsheets, folded plans, or documents printed on different-sized paper. If you have an A3 document, reduce it to A4 or include it as a separate exhibit with a note in the index.

Check the printing rules. Your tribunal’s practice direction or the directions in your matter may say whether to print single-sided.

Use a ring binder or spiral binding, not staples or paperclips. The bundle needs to lie flat when opened. Stapled bundles fall apart. Ring binders allow the tribunal member to flip between sections easily.

Include divider tabs between major sections. Label each tab clearly: Application, Defence, Witness Statements, Correspondence, Contracts, Invoices, Photos. Use physical card dividers, not just blank pages with headings.

How to structure your index correctly

Your index must list every document in the bundle with its starting page number. Use this format:

Section 1: Tribunal Documents Application — page 1 Respondent’s Defence — page 8 Applicant’s Reply (if any) — page 15

Section 2: Witness Statements Statement of [Your Name] — page 20 Statement of [Witness Name] — page 28

Section 3: Correspondence Letter of Demand dated [date] — page 35 Email from Respondent dated [date] — page 38 Email from Applicant dated [date] — page 40

Section 4: Contracts and Agreements Service Agreement dated [date] — page 43 Invoice #001 dated [date] — page 50 Invoice #002 dated [date] — page 52

Section 5: Photographs and Other Evidence Photo of [description] — page 55 Photo of [description] — page 56

Do not use vague descriptions like “various emails” or “supporting documents.” Every document gets its own line with a specific description and page number.

Common mistakes

Including documents the other party has not seen. You cannot ambush the respondent with new evidence at the hearing. Every document in your bundle should have been given to the other party by the date in the tribunal’s directions.

Illegible copies. Faded faxes, blurry photos of documents, screenshots with tiny text — if the tribunal member cannot read it, it cannot help your case. Use high-resolution scans. If the original is illegible, include a typed transcript and explain why.

Missing page numbers. You printed the bundle but forgot to add page numbers. Number every page before you print, or hand-number every page after printing.

Documents out of order. You put the invoice before the contract, or the final email before the first email. The tribunal member will waste time flipping back and forth trying to follow the story.

No cover sheet. The first page of your bundle should be a cover sheet with the tribunal name, matter number, parties’ names, hearing date, and the words “Applicant’s Hearing Bundle” or “Respondent’s Hearing Bundle.”

Wrong number of copies. Check the practice direction and the directions in your matter, and bring the number required.

How to handle large or unusual documents

Emails with long threads. Do not include the entire email chain if it spans 20 pages of repeated signatures and disclaimers. Extract the relevant messages, highlight the key parts, and include only what the tribunal needs to see. Include a note: “Extract from email thread — full thread available on request.”

Contracts longer than 10 pages. Include the entire contract, but tab or highlight the specific clauses you are relying on. In your index, note: “Service Agreement (clause 5.3 at page 48).”

Photos or videos. Print photos at a reasonable size on A4 paper. If you have video evidence, include still frames in the bundle and bring the video on a USB stick. Note in the index: “Video evidence available on USB — still frame at page 60.”

Bank statements or transaction records. Do not include 30 pages of irrelevant transactions. Highlight the relevant entries, or prepare a summary table with references to the full statement. Include both the summary and the full statement in the bundle.

Follow the tribunal’s directions

The directions in your matter say what to file and by when. If the tribunal asks you to fix something in your bundle, follow its directions.

Tribunal members rely on properly organised bundles to run efficient hearings. If your bundle is a mess, your case suffers.

Final checklist before you submit

Before you lodge your hearing bundle, check:

• Every page is numbered consecutively in the bottom right corner
• The index matches the contents exactly
• Documents are in chronological order within each section
• You have the number of copies the directions require
• All documents have been disclosed to the other party
• The bundle is bound in a ring binder or spiral binding
• Divider tabs are in place and labelled
• The cover sheet includes the matter number, parties, and hearing date
• You have kept one copy for yourself

How Claim Done helps you prepare hearing bundles

If you have used Claim Done to prepare your tribunal application with our Programmatic Algorithms or generate a properly formatted witness statement, those documents are set out for inclusion in your bundle. Documents drafted by our Programmatic Algorithms use numbered paragraphs, clear headings, chronological exhibits.

Claim Done also offers a Hearing Bundle Upgrade service. It drafts five separate A4 PDFs from your answers: a chronology, a statement of issues, an evidence index, a position statement and draft orders. The evidence index lists your documents so you can put your own copies in order; you still paginate, index and bind the bundle yourself.

The service costs a flat fee. No hourly billing, no back-and-forth emails. You print the documents, add them to your bundle, lodge it with the tribunal, and walk into your hearing prepared.

Start drafting your hearing documents at claimdone.com.au/services/hearing-bundle-upgrade.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many copies of the hearing bundle do I need to bring?

Check your tribunal’s practice direction or the directions given in your matter, and bring the number they require.

Can I include documents in my hearing bundle that I have not sent to the other party?

No. Every document in your hearing bundle should have been given to the other party by the date in the tribunal’s directions.

Do I need to number every page in the bundle or just the first page of each document?

You must number every page in the entire bundle consecutively from 1 to the last page. Do not restart numbering for each document. The tribunal member needs to be able to refer to a specific page number and have everyone turn to the same page immediately.

Can I use double-sided printing for my hearing bundle?

It depends on your tribunal’s practice direction. Check the specific rules for your tribunal before printing.