I can’t understand how they can limit the numbers, as you can have up to 9 members https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/strata/roles
The owners corp sets the numbers before each election, to a maximum of nine.
The regulations set out how elections must be conducted in NSW strata and the first thing you do is to declare the names of people nominated prior to the meeting, then call for nominations from people at the meeting.
Then there is a vote taken to set the number of members which may be a maximum of nine and a minimum of three for a large scheme (over 100 lots) and one for a small scheme.
If there are more nominations that places, you hold an election and you do that by handing out blank sheets of paper on which owners write the names of their preferred candidates. Pre-printed voting papers are invalid.
You are right on the number of proxies, but then it depends on how many owners participate in the meeting either in person or by proxy. In a scheme of only 20 lots, five members of the committee could easily dominate with a combination of their own votes, plus one proxy vote each, then count unit entitlements as well as the fact that a 50 percent turn-out is almost unheard of.
There are ways to combat this but they involve scrutinising procedures and opposing owners’ right to vote and motivating other owners to support you. In other words, it’s possible but it’s not easy.