THE AGM TIME THIEF

Annual General Meetings are rarely anyone’s idea of a fun evening. Most strata unit owners and committee members attend because they care about their building, want to make responsible decisions, and would prefer to get through the agenda without turning what could be a 30-minute meeting into an endurance event.

Yet nearly every committee has encountered that owner.

You know the type. They arrive having clearly not read the agenda, the budgets, the quotes, the insurance terms, explanatory notes or any of the supporting documentation circulated several weeks earlier. But within minutes, they confidently begin interrogating every routine motion as though they alone have uncovered a conspiracy everyone else appeared to have missed.

And somehow, a straightforward motion suddenly becomes a 25-minute philosophical debate about global reinsurance markets, body corporate spending habits, or why essential services under contract should be terminated.

The irony? The motion itself often exists because legislation requires it; not because the committee decided to suddenly start collecting levy contributions or reinvent the insurance industry.

For committee members trying to manage their scheme responsibly, the impact of this behaviour is more than frustrating. It wastes time, derails productive discussion, and often discourages reasonable owners from participating at all.

Routine Motions Exist for a Reason

Many AGM motions are procedural and required under Queensland strata legislation. Minutes and Insurance confirmations, decision to audit and budget approvals, mandatory compliance for safety and committee elections are not there because someone thought they would make exciting meeting material. They exist because the law requires bodies corporate to formally consider and resolve these and other statutory matters.

That does not mean owners should not ask questions. Good governance absolutely depends on informed owners engaging in discussion. But there is a significant difference between asking constructive questions to understand a motion and its purpose and Hijacking the meeting in a disruptive manner.

A well-run AGM is not a forum to air grievances between neighbours, and it is certainly not the ideal venue for one person to repeatedly attempt to drive outcomes that are inconsistent with the collective benefits and obligations of the body corporate.

The Cost of Constant Digression

When a single owner repeatedly drags discussions into loosely connected topics, several things happen.

• First, genuinely important agenda items receive less attention because the meeting runs overtime.
• Second, volunteers on committees, who already give up personal time to help manage the scheme, become exhausted and disengaged.
• Third, owners stop attending meetings altogether because they know the experience will involve circular arguments over issues that were either already decided previously; explained in the meeting papers; or legally mandatory.

The unfortunate result is that the loudest voice starts dominating governance, even when that voice contributes generally provides the least practical value. 

Reading the Agenda is not Optional

One of the simplest ways to improve AGM outcomes that is most overlooked is to ensure you read the material beforehand.  Committees, strata managers, and service providers spend significant time preparing AGM documents so owners can arrive informed and ready to participate meaningfully.

When someone ignores all that preparation and attempts to process every thought in real time during the meeting, everybody else pays for it. Questions become repetitive and discussions become unfocused. Motions become delayed and tempers rise.

Intelligence is Knowing what Matters

Good committee members understand that effective governance is not about trying to “catch people out” or constantly searching for hidden flaws in every routine motion.

It is about:

• understanding the purpose of the motion;
• recognising legal obligations;
• balancing practical outcomes for owners; and
• helping meetings progress efficiently and respectfully.

The smartest people in strata meetings are usually the ones who:

• prepare beforehand;
• ask relevant questions;
• listen to explanations;
• stay focused on the issue being decided; and
• understand when a discussion has already reached a reasonable conclusion.

A Useful AGM Rule Of Thumb

If you can’t identify the person causing the disruption in the room, it may be worth reflecting on your own conduct.

Harsh? Perhaps. But in strata meetings, surprisingly accurate.

If every motion somehow becomes an opportunity to showcase your intelligence…
If every discussion must revolve around your tangent…
If every committee decision is treated like a personal challenge …
And if every AGM ends with everyone visibly exhausted …

…it may be worth some self-reflection before the next meeting notice arrives.

Because effective strata communities are built by owners willing to contribute constructively, stay focused, and respect everybody else’s time.

Article Contributed by Nicky Lonergan, CEO, Archers the Strata Professionals.