An owner can nominate anyone to sit on an EC – so even a non-landlord can nominate a tenant – and if there are fewer or the same number of candidates as there are seats then they will join the EC without there being an election.
This person is not a proxy – they are a fully fledged member of the EC and entitled to vote on anything the EC is allowed to vote on.
The same owner can then give their proxy to another owner so that the second owner can vote for their nominee.should it come to an election.The likeliest scenario for this would be when an owner lives interstate and their unit is rented by a friend who is prepared to represent their interests on the EC. Any group of owners who object to a tenant being on the EC only has to make sure there are enough candidates and enough votes to preclude this. For the record, I’m in favour of long-term tenants being on ECs – they represent the majority of unit residents and often have more interest in the liveability of the building than, say, investors who are only looking for a quick profit.
One other point on the question of voting on financial matters – the EC is restricted on what it can spend over and above what the Owners Corp has budgetted at its AGM. And tenants don’t get a vote at the AGM.