Unless you have something in your contract or agreement with your strata manager sying they have to get committee approval before paying bills, there’s not much you can do … except ask them why they were so quick to pay.
How should the committee members who did not approve the invoice proceed – ask Strata Manager if someone on the committee instructed them to pay? Ask for evidence of any instruction?
That would be reasonable, but they might turn around and say there was no instruction NOT to pay, so they just did their job.
If there is evidence that a committee member provided such instruction, without a majority vote, what action can be taken? Can they be removed from the committee?
They can be voted out of an executive role if they have one by a simple majority vote on the committee. They can be voted off the committee (for a year) by a simple majority at a general meeting. And you can make a case against them being elected at your next AGM.
Can any action be taken against the Strata Manager?
For what? A tied committee vote means the status quo prevails. The SM could argue that the status quo is to pay bills. However, if you can find evidence of non-declared kickbacks and commissions, you can make a complaint to Fair Trading and, as well, get shot of the strata manager at the next opportunity, such as when their contract comes up for renewal.