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From bitter and painful experience I recommend that anyone who is a member of a body corporate committee read the strata living guide that Jimmy has noted above. If you are in Vic the consumer affairs site has thorough information for body corps including the roles of committee members. If you need more info their contact people are extremely helpful. You can take control of work in neglected blocks but remember that you need to instruct the manager to act for you. Your works committee, by meeting, taking minutes, then circulating those minutes to all owners, can get work done. Be careful to keep the committee in good communication as well in case one member goes rogue and contacts other owners with misinformation of planned works. It can be very difficult to right a sinking ship so best to be proactive and keep owners informed. It can seem like a lot of thankless work if the majority of owners do not seem to care, never attend an AGM, do not reply to email, etc.
Yes to all that Jimmy T. has said and especially to reading the rules on the fair trading site. Also here: https://www.lawsociety.com.au/for-the-public/know-your-rights/strata-title
Ah the joys of managing a small building where other owners do not attend the AGM then leap into action when one owner occupier nominates. You can do this! When you have committee meetings remember that you must keep minutes of those meetings, and remember that the body corp managers can only act on instruction so you can take control of the work done on your building but it takes time and energy. You may want to change managers but perhaps you can work out a way to take control and make them work harder for you, under the instruction of the committee. Managers can appear very slack but sometimes it is because no one (unit owners) has had the time and energy to take control.
I believe that you have the right to have a list of the owners and all other committee members do also. (That was the case in Vic.)
Good luck with this. Keep good records, keep communication open and clear, and remember too that if you need information consumer affairs is there to help.
I agree with those who advise that you start dealing with the cats. I had a business in an inner city area of Melbourne years ago and the strays were multiplying fast when people began to feed them. There were first two then a dozen. I had to catch and transport the cats to the RSPCA. Your council will lend a humane trap to you and you can take the captured cats to the RSPCA where they will desex and find homes for them. (Please make a donation to the RSPCA if you do take cats to them.) You could also put pressure on the NSW government to change the cat roaming laws. Roaming cats do incredible harm to each other and to wildlife.
“When raised with the Strata Manager, he has said that he takes direction with the Owners Corporation as to which repairs works are undertaken and that is based on majority rule.”
For many years I owned a flat in a small building with only nine units. We fell into terrible disrepair partly due to a slugging management company, party due to a chairperson not taking control and not getting work done before suddenly selling up. (Keep an eye out for this hazard). Short advice: read the body corp rules, take control and give your OC direction. Bundle repairs into lots, get quotes and remember you do not need to accept the lowest quote or even get three quotes. Direct the OC to contract work and direct them to give the work to your chosen company. If you need to raise a levy, do so, and get the work done! Little will be accomplished if once a year go to your body corp meeting with a long list of stuff to do and ask the OC to get quotes. Someone needs to take control and direct work to be done. This advice comes with the warning that if you take control you may be the one spending tons of time meeting tradespeople, managing quotes, basically doing all the hard work for other owners. It is sometimes irritating but in the end worth the hours spent.