What a mess!!
It sounds to me like your friend needs to apply for the compulsory appointment of a “real” Strata Manager, and even though he could do that “first-up”, in the first instance I think it’s better for him to carefully package-up all the evidentiary information that he has about his Strata Plan being improperly managed, and to then follow the defined and well-trodden path to resolving that by as a first step, applying for Mediation (for the princely sum of $81), of what really is a dispute with his Owners Corporation over it not following the procedures required in the NSW Strata Schemes Management Act, including with regard to it not properly maintaining its common property, not enforcing its by-laws, and with not conducting and reporting its finances and meetings procedures.
Your friend can take you along for support, and you can both read a summary of that pathway HERE.