Section 46 provides that the the OC can pay an amount to a Committee member in recognition of services performed by that member in the preceding 12 months, the amount to be determined by the owners.
So the Act allows payments to Committee members for specific services they may perform, any such payment to be made retrospectively.
In your case the Committee has asked for approval of a set amount to cover expenses (not services) prospectively. I am not sure that the Act allows for payment of “expenses”. To be blunt, what are these meals and why do they have to have them? It sounds like a complete rort.
I suggest you ask the strata manager which section of the Act allows this, and also give Fair Trading a call.