With only 12 units, I’d find a few like-minded neighbours, work out an agreed reform and improvements agenda to roll out over the next few years, and stage a coup at the next AGM. Assuming that only 7 or 8 unit owners are take part in meetings, you only need 3 or 4 others to have a clear majority of the AGM and the elected committee.
Then you, the committee, start to direct the strata manager, not the other way around. Remember that any committee function can still be exercised by the committee when it chooses to exercise that function, even if the function has been delegated.