Chapter 2
The 1995-96 Report: Presentation and Style
2.1 The NNTT report comprises a discussion of native title issues and
developments that arose between July 1995 and June 1996 (pp. i-viii);
the Registrar's report on the operations of the Tribunal for the year
under review (pp.1-9); six sections describing Tribunal activity in detail
(pp.10-92); and five appendixes containing information on NNTT publications,
the core role of mediation, the historical context of native title, the
Tribunal's structure and staffing arrangements and its financial statements
(pp. 93-182).
2.2 Further, as in the report for 1994-95, this report contains a comprehensive
bibliography of published and unpublished writing on native title (pp.183-187).
The report's accessibility is enhanced by two indexes: the first sets
out NNTT compliance with annual reporting requirements (p.188), and the
second is an alphabetical index to the contents of the report (pp.189-192).
2.3 The Committee devoted some attention to the question of the style
of the Tribunal's second report; Chapter 5 of the Committee's fourth report
considered this matter. In essence, the Committee concluded that the Tribunal's
annual report for 1994-95 was too long, with 23 appendixes. Some suggestions
were made in the Committee's report as to methods of reducing the length
of the Tribunal's next report. The Tribunal's 1995-96 annual report is
considerably shorter than its predecessor (194 pages compared with 305).
Partly as a consequence, it is much better organised and is a more accessible
document than the 1994-95 annual report.
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