If you can prove that you are significantly sensitive to the perfumes from detergents and fabric softeners, you could raise a complaint under Section 153 (below).
To put the “nuisance” clause in context, if a neighbour had a cat that caused you have asthma attacks, you could take action to have it removed from the building, or at least from being anywhere near you. If the issue was cigarette smoke, you could stop people from smoking on their balconies.
It’s amazing how insenitive people are to perfume sensitivity. I was on a plane recently when a woman stood up and sprayed herself with some sort of scent that had people around her coughing and sneezing. On the other hand, I’ve heard some offices have “no scent” days to give workers a break from the over-abundance of scents, aftershaves and deodorants.
Anyway, your first challenge is to get some authoritative medical opinion that you suffer unreasonably from an allergy to artificial scents. Then you can ask your owners corp to tell the culprits to either stop drying their laundry on their balconies or use unscented laundry products (yes, they exist!). At least they’ll have a choice which is more than you have at the moment.
As for the allergy tests, I googled and got this clinic. All I know about them is that they have a website, so this is not so much a recommendation as a recognition that they exist. By the way the term “nuisance” as in Section 153, is a legal term with specific meanings, rather than something that’s a bit annoying.
153 Owners, occupiers and other persons not to create nuisance
(1) An owner, mortgagee or covenant chargee in possession, tenant or occupier of a lot in a strata scheme must not:
(a) use or enjoy the lot, or permit the lot to be used or enjoyed, in a manner or for a purpose that causes a nuisance or hazard to the occupier of any other lot (whether that person is an owner or not), or
(b) use or enjoy the common property in a manner or for a purpose that interferes unreasonably with the use or enjoyment of the common property by the occupier of any other lot (whether that person is an owner or not) or by any other person entitled to the use and enjoyment of the common property, or
(c) use or enjoy the common property in a manner or for a purpose that interferes unreasonably with the use or enjoyment of any other lot by the occupier of the lot (whether that person is an owner or not) or by any other person entitled to the use and enjoyment of the lot.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.