the voting requirements

I'm not sure what the point of this posting is but I'll take a stab at it:

leif said:

Voting

There seems to be an unclear definition of voting. I assumed when referring to Owners Corporation it did just that.

OK, the Owners Corporation is all the owners, whether they want to be members or not. A general meeting is when all the owners are given the opportunity to meet, discuss and vote on issues. This is different from the Executive Committee and their meetings.

It seems to be assumed to refer to owners present at a meeting.

General Meeting votes are based on the number of people at the meeting and entitled to vote (including proxies), not on the number of owners in the building. If a general meeting has been properly notified and the agenda circulated and large numbers of people don't turn up and can't be bothered to give anyone a proxy, then that's too bad.

Hence the special resolution is passed based on attendees to the meeting.

Correct, the only time the raw numbers turning up at a meeting makes a difference is if the meeting doesn't have a quorum.  A quorum is 25 percent of the owners (or proxies) entitled to vote or owners and proxies representing 25 percent of the unit entitlements of the building and entitled to vote.

I thought this was wrong and there are special ways to handle situations where there is less than required owners present.

Well, proxy votes on the correct forms are counted as attendees.  However, if a meeting is inquorate half an hour after it's called to order then it is suspended for at least seven days,.  If the resumed meeting is then inqurate after a half hour, those in attendance are deemed to be a quorum.

This system works, in the main.  You can't have buildings run on the whim of people who can't be bothered to attend meetings or appoint proxies.

leif said:

Resolution: A decision of the meeting (after taking a vote) and 25% or more owners present

Special Resolution: No more than 25% of votes are cast against and 25% or more owners present

Unanimous Resolution: No vote is against, and 25% or more owners present

As a normal AGM struggles to get the quorum 25% of owners ………

 

From the Strata Schemes Managment Act Schedule 2 clause 12 regarding quorums:

(2)  There is a quorum for considering and voting on such a motion or at such an election only if:

(a)  at least one-quarter of the number of persons entitled to vote on the motion or at the election is present, either personally or by duly appointed proxy, or

(b)  at least one-quarter of the aggregate unit entitlement of the strata scheme is represented by the persons who are present and entitled to vote on the motion or at the election, either personally or by duly appointed proxy.

Notice the quorum of part (a) is one quarter of those entitled to vote. Being entitled to vote means being financial even though the Act says that a non financial persons vote does not count at clause 10 sub clause 8. It does not say the owners is no longer entitled to vote, it just says the vote is not to be counted. The interpretation of sub clause 8 has consequences for submitting motions and other parts of the Act that refer to people entitled to vote but that is another issue.

(8) Voting rights may not be exercised if contributions not paid
A vote at a general meeting (other than a vote on a motion requiring a unanimous resolution) by an owner of a lot or a person with a priority vote in respect of the lot does not count unless payment has been made before the meeting of all contributions levied on the owner, and any other amounts recoverable from the owner, in relation to the lot that are owing at the date of the notice for the meeting.

So the 25% of owners present is 25% of owners who are financial being present. Say you have a 100 unit SP and 20 people are not financial. The quorum is not 25 people it is 20 due to the unfinancial status of some owners.
Just remember it is 25% of those eligible to vote and to be eligible to vote apparently means being financial (unless it is a unanimous resolution that is being determined).