Every Body Corporate in Queensland is run by a Committee — a group of Lot Owner representatives elected to make decisions on behalf of the scheme. But what a Committee can and can’t decide, how its members are elected, and what happens when something goes wrong isn’t always obvious, whether you’re new to the role or you’re a Lot Owner trying to understand how decisions affecting your building actually get made.
This page covers the basics of how a Committee is structured, what authority it holds, and how meetings and elections work under Queensland’s Body Corporate and Community Management Act. For the full detail — including the complete nomination and election process, what happens when a position becomes vacant, and SSKB’s full breakdown of how a Committee Meeting runs from start to finish — download the free Role of the Committee Guide (QLD).
Already an SSKB Client? A copy of The Role of the Committee Guide – QLD is already available to you via the mySSKB Portal and the SSKB App. Simply head to the Owner Documentation section and look under the Education tab.
Edition 1 2025
Disclaimer: The material in this book is intended as a general guide and not as definitive legal advice. For specific concerns, we recommend speaking with your Community Manager. They can either provide the answers you need or help you find the right professional with the expertise required to make a positive difference for your Body Corporate. Please note that legislative requirements may have changed since this information was published.
A Body Corporate Committee is a group of Lot Owner representatives elected each year at the Annual General Meeting to handle the administration and day-to-day operations of the scheme. Every Body Corporate must have a Committee, unless it has appointed a Community Manager under a special agreement to carry out Committee duties instead. Committee Members have a duty to act lawfully and in the best interests of all Owners — not just themselves — provided the decision doesn’t touch a Restricted Issue or exceed the Committee’s spending limits.
Committee Members also have disclosure obligations: anyone with a direct conflict of interest in a matter must abstain from voting on it, although they aren’t excluded from attending the meeting. Our free guide covers these duties in more detail, including how conflicts should be handled in practice.
A Committee must have at least three voting members and no more than seven — or the total number of Lots in the scheme, whichever is fewer. Schemes with seven or more Lots that are a principal scheme in a layered arrangement can resolve to increase this to a maximum of twelve. All three Executive positions (Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer) must be filled, though one person can hold more than one of these roles at the same time.
Committee eligibility isn’t limited to Lot Owners in every case — family members, Power of Attorney holders, and company nominees can also serve under certain conditions. Our guide sets out exactly who qualifies and the nomination requirements involved.
The Chairperson presides over Committee and General Meetings and has the authority to rule a motion “out of order” at a General Meeting. The Secretary manages meeting notices, nomination invitations, ballot papers and voting materials, and — while not mandated by legislation — often takes meeting minutes. The Treasurer is formally responsible for approving invoices, reviewing financial reports, and issuing approved levies (in practice, much of this is carried out by the Community Manager on the Treasurer’s behalf, subject to Committee approval). Ordinary Committee Members support by-law enforcement and, in the absence of a Building Manager, may organise repairs and maintenance.
Our guide breaks down each position’s responsibilities in full, including where day-to-day tasks are commonly delegated to a Community Manager.
A Committee’s authority is limited by “Restricted Issues” under the BCCM legislation — decisions that can only be made at a General Meeting. These include fixing or changing Body Corporate contributions, altering the rights or obligations of Lot Owners (such as changing by-laws), and any matter the Body Corporate has previously resolved must only be decided at a General Meeting. Committee spending is also capped by a legislated formula unless a higher limit has been approved by Ordinary Resolution at a General Meeting.
There are exceptions that allow a Committee to initiate legal action — recovering a debt from a Lot Owner, responding to counterclaims, and enforcing by-laws among them. Our guide explains where the line sits and how spending limits are calculated.
Committee Members are elected annually at the AGM, with nominations opening three to six weeks beforehand. Nominees must be financial at the time of nomination — an Owner who owes a debt to the Body Corporate can be deemed ineligible. Elections are conducted by secret ballot unless the Body Corporate has resolved to use an open ballot, and if the number of nominations doesn’t exceed the available positions, nominees are declared elected unopposed. Committee elections operate on a strict one-vote-per-Lot basis, regardless of Lot entitlement, and proxies cannot be used to vote in a Committee election.
Our guide sets out the full nomination process under Section 18 of the Standard Module, including the eligibility criteria for both Lot Owners and non-Owner nominees.
Committee Meetings can be called as often as the scheme needs — there’s no set minimum or maximum. A minimum of seven clear days’ notice is required (shortenable to two days by unanimous agreement), and a quorum of 50% or more of voting Members must be present for any decision to be valid. Where a physical meeting isn’t practical, decisions can also be made through a “Vote Outside Committee” (VOC) process, provided the required number of votes is reached. All decisions must be formally recorded in minutes, which the Secretary must distribute to Owners and Committee Members within 21 days.
Our guide maps out the complete meeting process — from calling a meeting through to actioning its outcomes — across what SSKB calls the 13 facets of a Committee Meeting.
Yes, in some circumstances. Under the Standard Module, Lot Owners can submit a “Notice of Opposition” to prevent the Committee from acting on a particular resolution. To be valid, it must be signed by Owners of at least half the Lots in the scheme and received within seven days of the minutes being circulated. This process can’t be used to challenge routine administrative decisions involving spending below $200 (or $5 multiplied by the number of Lots in the scheme, whichever is less).
Because strict time limits apply, our guide recommends seeking independent legal advice quickly if you’re considering this process — and explains exactly how it works.
A Committee position becomes vacant if the Member resigns, becomes ineligible, is absent from two consecutive meetings without approved leave, is convicted of an indictable offence, is removed by Ordinary Resolution, or sells the Lot that qualified them (or was nominated by an Owner who has since sold theirs). The Committee must act to fill a vacancy within one month — by internal appointment if a quorum remains, or via a General Meeting if it doesn’t.
Our guide covers the full replacement process, including what happens when there aren’t enough remaining Members to reach a quorum.
The Committee holds decision-making authority, but day-to-day administrative tasks are commonly delegated to a Community Manager — preparing agendas, issuing levies, drafting budgets, and liaising with contractors, among other things. A Community Manager doesn’t have authority to make decisions on the Body Corporate’s behalf unless formally appointed under a Part 5 agreement. A Building Manager (or Caretaker), where one exists, is a non-voting Member of the Body Corporate responsible for the physical upkeep of Common Property — separate again from both the Committee and the Community Manager, and governed by its own Caretaking Agreement.
Our guide explains how these three roles interact in practice, and where responsibility for a given task usually sits.
A minimum of three and a maximum of seven voting members — or up to twelve for a principal scheme in a layered arrangement with seven or more Lots.
Yes. Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer are all mandatory positions, though one person can hold more than one of them at the same time.
Yes, in specific circumstances — an immediate family member of the Owner, someone acting under Power of Attorney, a director or secretary of a company that owns a Lot, or the authorised representative of a subsidiary scheme
No, not unless remuneration is specifically approved at a General Meeting. Committee roles are volunteer positions by default.
No. Proxies cannot be used in Committee elections — only the Lot Owner or their eligible representative may cast a vote in that process.
A way for the Committee to make a decision without holding a physical meeting, provided the number of votes reaches at least a quorum. It must be formally confirmed at the next Committee Meeting.
Yes, through a Notice of Opposition signed by Owners of at least half the Lots in the scheme, submitted within seven days of the minutes being circulated — except for routine spending decisions below $200 (or $5 per Lot, whichever is less).
Until they’re re-elected, replaced, or their position becomes vacant — through resignation, ineligibility, an indictable offence conviction, removal by Ordinary Resolution, unapproved absence from two consecutive meetings, or selling the Lot that qualified them.
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