Jimmy – I agree, with the only further proviso being that at its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) post December 2016, the Agenda would need to include Motions:
1) To resolve that nominations for election to the Strata Committee must be by the individuals themselves, include any preference/s they have for consideration as an Officer of the Committee, and that nominations will close (say) 30 days prior to the date of each AGM; and
2) To resolve the maximum number of Strata Committee members that it will in future elect.
Both Motions should have an incorporated condition that the outcome of those Resolutions will remain in force until otherwise amended at a subsequent AGM.
In that way a ballot at the physical AGM would be unnecessary, and the Agenda for an on-line vote could at the applicable Motion instruct Owners to vote there for the pre-nominated candidate/s of their choice up to “… the number determined by the owners corporation as the (maximum) number of members of the strata committee” [ref: Reg.2016 – Sect.10,Cl.3(a)]
I’m sure that a well designed software package could block any votes in excess of that maximum number.
The process to then nominate and elect Officers of the Strata Committee could occur at a subsequent Meeting of that Committee, which with the assistance of the preferences indicated at the time of Members’ pre-nomination, could also be conducted on-line if necessary, or by teleconference or Skype® otherwise.
All of the above is a bit of a “fiddle” around the edges of the Regulation 2016, but I can’t see anyone challenging such a strategy so long as it’s initially transparent, and subsequently open to amendment by way of a later majority vote at an AGM.