Can the strata committee make a decision without the secretary present?
Quick answer
Yes, provided the meeting still meets quorum and any procedural requirements — the secretary's presence isn't usually a legal requirement for a valid decision, though someone still needs to record proper minutes. Check your state's rules and your scheme's by-laws for any specific requirements.
Key takeaways
- Validity generally depends on quorum and proper process, not on a specific office holder attending
- Someone still needs to take and circulate proper minutes if the secretary is absent
- Check your scheme's by-laws for any unusual requirement tying a decision to the secretary specifically
Committees sometimes assume a decision is invalid if a particular office holder isn't there, but that's usually not how quorum and validity work.
What actually makes a decision valid
Most states' requirements for a valid committee decision centre on quorum being met, proper notice of the meeting having been given, and the decision being within the committee's authority — not on every specific office holder being present. If quorum is reached without the secretary, decisions made are generally still valid.
Why the secretary's role still matters practically
The secretary is usually responsible for preparing the agenda, giving notice, and recording minutes — important procedural functions, but ones that can typically be delegated or covered by another committee member if the secretary is absent, unless your scheme's by-laws or state legislation say otherwise. A meeting without the secretary still needs someone to take proper minutes; skipping that step is a real gap even if the decision itself is technically valid.
Situations to watch for
- If the secretary's absence means quorum genuinely isn't met, no valid decision can be made regardless of who else is there
- If your by-laws specifically require the secretary's involvement for a particular kind of decision (uncommon, but worth checking), that requirement still applies
- If minutes for that meeting are never properly recorded because nobody stepped in, the record of what was decided becomes weak evidence later
What to check for your scheme
Because the exact quorum and procedural rules come from your state's strata legislation and your scheme's by-laws, confirm the current position for your state — [NSW](/strata-committee/nsw), [VIC](/strata-committee/vic), [QLD](/strata-committee/qld) — rather than assuming another building's practice applies to yours.
Keeping the record solid either way
Whoever chairs a meeting without the secretary should make sure someone is assigned to take minutes on the spot, and those minutes should be properly circulated and confirmed at the next meeting, the same as any other. A gap in officer attendance shouldn't become a gap in the record.
A strata committee can generally make valid decisions without the secretary present, provided quorum and proper notice requirements are still met — the secretary's attendance is not usually a condition of a decision's validity. However, someone still needs to take and circulate proper minutes, and committees should check their state's legislation and by-laws for any unusual requirements tied to a specific office holder.
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