Hi LovetheView,
I have trained all over Australia and I can tell you that what we do is the same here and worldwide, we face the same challenges. The requirements of legislation vary in each state, with some being very prescriptive and others being very vague. Whatever you have got is the minimum standard, the minimum operating procedure and the minimum governance, so you can definitely learn from others.
I am in Victoria, and I constantly refer to Qld or NSW as a guide on how to proceed. For example, in Qld the body corporate can set the major spending limit by ordinary resolution at a general meeting. There is no minimum or maximum amount that can be set. If no amount is set, the limit is the lesser of either:
- $1,100 multiplied by the number of lots in the scheme. or
- $10,000.
For example, the limit for a body corporate with 5 lots would be $5,500 ($1,100 x 5 lots), as this amount is less than $10,000.
In a 15 lot scheme the limit would be $10,000, because it is less than $16,500 ($1,100 x 15 lots).
Note: it does not prevent the body corporate or the committee from spending more than the major spending limit—it just requires 2 quotes to be considered.
In Victoria a committee can spend up to twice the annual budget – which can be a scary amount with no requirement for quotes by the committee! So, we could use the interstate experience and implement a spending delegation. So, this provides some good procurement governance that is absent from Victorian legislation.
So, you will definitely get value from being a member of OCN. You will have an opportunity to network with others who have already gone through an issue that you might be facing, learn the good and bad parts of legislation, hear about useful resources.
OCNA (Owners Corporation Network Australia) has a strategic plan to expand to support owners Australia wide. It will take time to get to Tassie but it’s coming!