I am just wondering whether the SM Contract lists these fees or whether they are ‘made up’ by the SM to suit both the occasion and their opinions of the person seeking the access. Not all SMs charge a fee for this type of access. There is no requirement under the Act to charge a fee.
https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/sta1985173/s43.html
If there is nothing in the Contract then perhaps your OC can ask the SM to justify the fees that they are charging and make this transparent via a Motion at a General Meeting.
I personally can’t see why extra fees are being charged for extra time spent looking over the records? It is your time – not theirs.
Whenever I have searched records the records have all been dumped on a desk somewhere by a member of staff and it was up to me to sort through them all, without any assistance being provided by the SM staff. Whether a person spends a long time or a short time looking at the records should not matter at all to the SM.
If the SM becomes belligerent about this access then there might be a case for removing them at the next General Meeting and seeking out a friendlier company to deal with.
Rather than writing copious notes at the SM’s office perhaps you can take a photo of the docs with your smart phone and do the bulk of your work at home.