What is quorum and how is it calculated?
Quick answer
Quorum is the minimum attendance (in person or by proxy) required for a meeting to validly make decisions. The exact calculation depends on your state's legislation and scheme size, so check your own state's rules rather than assuming a fixed number.
Key takeaways
- Quorum rules differ by state and sometimes by scheme size
- Meetings held without quorum risk having their resolutions challenged
- Recording attendance and proxies accurately as they happen makes checking quorum reliable
Quorum exists to stop a small handful of owners making binding decisions for the whole scheme without reasonable participation.
Why it matters
If a meeting proceeds without quorum, resolutions passed may be invalid or open to challenge later, which can unwind decisions the committee thought were settled — sometimes well after money has already been spent or a contract signed.
How it's generally worked out
Most Australian states calculate quorum based on a proportion of owners (sometimes measured by unit entitlement rather than headcount) present in person or by proxy. Some states provide for a reduced quorum, or a deemed quorum, if the meeting is adjourned for lack of numbers on the first attempt. The exact mechanics differ enough between NSW, Victoria, Queensland and other states that it's worth confirming against your own state's current legislation or your manager's advice rather than relying on general commentary.
Practical steps to protect quorum
- Send notice with enough lead time that owners can arrange to attend or appoint a proxy
- Actively chase proxies from owners who can't attend, particularly for schemes that regularly struggle to reach quorum
- Know your state's fallback process if quorum isn't reached, so you're not improvising on the day
How this shows up in Flex Strata
The meeting tools record attendance and proxies as they're captured, so quorum can be checked against actual numbers at the time rather than estimated. This doesn't replace knowing your state's rule — it just means the numbers you're checking it against are accurate.
When in doubt
If your committee is unsure whether quorum was validly reached at a past meeting, or how it should be calculated for an unusual scheme structure, that's worth a specific question to your strata manager or a lawyer rather than guessing — the consequences of an invalid resolution can be significant.
Common follow-up questions
Related questions
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