I am not aware of any hard and fast rule about proxies speaking at general meetings but you could resolve this by adopting a set of standing orders that clarifies this.
As we have discussed elsewhere on this forum, having an agreed set of rules for your meetings – both committee and AGMs – makes it a lot easier for the chair to maintain order, identify disruptive elements and hopefully curb their intrusions.
I’m going to post rules I recommend below but these are in no way prescriptive and you may wish to add change or remove any of them to suit your circumstances.
Then you could make the adoption of the standing orders your first item of business on the agenda then run the meeting accordingly.
If this person has been disruptive in the past I’m sure other owners will support your efforts to bring some order to proceedings. Anyway, have a look at the proposal below and see if it would do the trick for you (and change it if it wouldn’t).
Standing Orders for General Meetings of Strata Scheme (No…..)
- The meeting will be governed by the terms of Schedule 1 of the NSW Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 and relevant regulations.*
- The meeting must be chaired by the elected chairperson unless they are absent or unable to do so, in which case those in attendance and entitled to vote must elect a chair for the duration of that meeting.*
- Owners who wish to be represented by a proxy at the meeting must nominate that proxy in writing before the start of the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter.
- In the interest of fair hearing for all owners, owners represented by a nominated proxy may not also speak on issues if they have nominated a proxy to speak on their behalf. Only one speaker is allowed per lot and the chair may rule additional speakers out of order.
- The chair should make it clear to non-owner proxies that they are bound by the Standing Orders.
- The committee will consider the items on the agenda in the order in which they appear unless a majority of the committee agrees to change the order at the meeting.
- The Chairperson will allow each owner or their nominated proxy to speak only once on a topic until everyone who wants to speak has had a chance to do so. The same restriction will apply after each time an attendee speaks.
- Attendees and members who interrupt, talk out of turn or talk over other members may be warned verbally that their behaviour is not acceptable.
- If the interruptions and disruptive behaviour is repeated despite a warning, the chairman may declare that they will ‘name’ the miscreant in the minutes of the meeting.
- The meeting will be called to a close after the final item on the agenda has been discussed and voted upon.
- There is no “any other business”. Any items not on the agenda can only be discussed informally after the end of the meeting and no vote should be taken or recorded.*
*Items 1, 2 and 11 are part of NSW strata laws or regulations.