Election 25: Vote for owner motions

Posted on 23 September 202530 October 2025 by Admin

9. Appointment of a Body Corporate Manager

Vote ‘No’ to motion 9.1 and ‘Yes’ to 9.2 to engage Strata Management Group.

Southport Central deserves professional, transparent management—yet the current committee continues to favour Complete Management Group (CMG), a small operation with limited experience and worrying practices. Strata Management Group (SMG) offers a far more capable alternative, with a full team of experts and a proven track record, at nearly the same cost. Vote YES to Motion 9.2 and help restore integrity, accountability, and value to our Body Corporate.

Please vote ‘Yes’ to the following motions:

Motion 10: Relocation of the inspection room – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion urges the body corporate to relocate the Records Inspection Room to a suitable, safe and space within the scheme that complies with health and safety standards. The new location must be clean, habitable, ventilated, adequately lit, free from vehicle exhaust fumes and the like, and meet basic health and safety standards. This is the room where owners inspect body corporate records and currently it is a tiny room in the level 6 carpark.

Motion 11: Gardens – Professional Advice – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion proposes extending the work of qualified landscapers to develop a comprehensive rejuvenation plan for the level 3 pool deck and level 12 gardens. It includes soil and nutrient testing, irrigation diagnostics, plant replacement recommendations, and a detailed landscape plan with seasonal care instructions. The final plan will be posted on the body corporate portal to guide future maintenance and ensure long-term garden health and beauty.

Motion 12: Appointment of Independent Returning Officer – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion proposes appointing a qualified, third-party returning officer to oversee all body corporate elections—ensuring transparency, fairness, and compliance. Duties include managing nominations, verifying eligibility, securing ballots, resolving disputes, and maintaining accessible records. With a capped cost and a requirement for competitive quotes, this is a smart step toward restoring trust in our election process.

Motion 13: Solar Power and Battery – Viability Assessment – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion proposes engaging five qualified solar companies—at no cost to the Body Corporate—to assess installing a government-funded solar and battery system on level 3 to power our pool deck and recreation areas. Each company will provide a detailed viability report, including design, installation estimates, and projected energy savings, with all findings uploaded to the Body Corporate Portal. It’s a smart, zero-cost step toward cleaner energy, lower bills, and long-term sustainability.

Motion 14: General Ledger Transparency – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion calls for the body corporate to resume posting financial records—including general ledger entries and invoices—on the owner portal. It’s a simple, cost-free step toward greater financial accountability and transparency. Owners deserve clear access to how their funds are being managed.

Motion 15: Electronic Voting – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion proposes introducing electronic voting at Southport Central Residential to make participation easier, faster, and more accessible for all owners—while still preserving the option for paper ballots. It also calls on the committee to explore improvements to the voting process and report back to owners. It’s a practical step toward modernising engagement and ensuring every voice can be heard.

Motion 16: CTS 35751 – Sale Policy Disclosure – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion seeks clarity on whether the body corporate has a formal policy regarding the sale of apartments owned by CTS 35751 Investments Pty Ltd. It asks who holds decision-making authority and under what conditions sales would occur—outside of any court-mandated adjudication. Owners deserve transparency on how these assets are managed and what governs their potential sale.

Motion 17: Multiple Quotes for Major Expenditure – Vote ‘Yes’This motion requires the committee to obtain at least three quotes for major expenses—like capital works, renovations, and insurance—to ensure competitive pricing and fiscal responsibility. It also mandates transparency: all quotes, selection rationale, and any shortfall explanations must be published in AGM documents. Owners deserve assurance that their funds are spent wisely, without hidden commissions or preferential deals.

Motion 18: Sinking Fund Forecast – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion calls for the Body Corporate to commission a new Sinking Fund Forecast by February 27, 2026, and publish it on the owner portal within 30 days. It ensures owners have up-to-date financial planning for future capital works and maintenance. Transparency and foresight are key to protecting our shared investment.

Motion 19: Slip Tests Across the Pool Deck – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion proposes engaging a qualified firm to conduct slip resistance testing on all tiled pedestrian surfaces across the level 3 pool deck, including the indoor pool, in line with Australian safety standards. Results must be posted on the body corporate portal within 30 days to ensure transparency and accountability. It’s a proactive measure to reduce risk and protect residents and guests from preventable accidents.

Motion 20: Traffic Calming Measures in Basement Carparks – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion proposes installing three rows of rumble strips on the Basement 2 down ramp to improve safety and reduce speeding—at a modest cost of under $800. It also calls for coordination with other Southport Central body corporates to secure consent for the installation. A simple, low-cost measure to protect pedestrians and drivers alike

Motion 21: Management Services to CTS35751 – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion demands full transparency regarding over $70,000 paid for “Management Services” to the committee chairperson’s private company, CTS35751 Investments Pty Ltd. It seeks clarity on the nature of the services, who performed them, how the fee was calculated, and whether any formal agreement existed. Owners deserve a clear explanation—published in the AGM minutes—to ensure accountability and prevent conflicts of interest.

Motion 22: Smoking Prohibition By-law – Vote ‘Yes’

This motion introduces a new by-law to prohibit smoking—including cigarettes, cigars, vapes, and e-cigarettes—across all common property and exclusive-use areas like balconies and car parks. It aims to reduce passive smoke exposure, improve air quality, and uphold community health standards, while still allowing owners to smoke inside their apartments with windows and doors closed. The updated Community Management Statement will be formally recorded and made available to all owners.

Meet our candidates for the body corporate committee!

Posted on 7 September 202530 October 2025 by Admin

Four fresh faces on the committee will make a huge difference. Currently, many aspects of our financial affairs are hard to come by. The general ledger, which details ongoing spending, has been removed from the owners’ Community App. We don’t know the current planning and cost of long-term maintenance as the last publicly available sinking fund report was 2018. Yet there is increasing rust around our community area. The gardens look dilapidated. Neglected maintenance erodes the value of your apartment. We continue to face massive legal expenses. Our new faces will advocate transparency and accountability so that owners are in control of levies and spending. So please vote for them!

Xueshan “Jimmy” Jia (for chairperson & committee)

I am a highly skilled professional engineer, with a PhD in material engineering and Master of Engineering Science. I bought into Southport Central 5 years ago and have a deep understanding of critical issues facing our community. I am well connected and want to bring my professional experience, dedication and sharing spirit to the committee and the complex and propose positive change. And we need to be far more open with owners on how we spend their moneys.

Isabella Aden (for the committee)

As an owner and resident for the past 22 months, my interest in body corporate matters has grown. My 20-year tenure in education has honed my skills in collaboration, communication, and listening. I consistently advocate for fairness and equity in all facets of life. As an avid gardener, I’m aware of the importance of maintaining our complex. I offer a fresh perspective and impartial opinions on important issues affecting Southport Central. As T Fuller said: “Good is not good where better is expected.”

John Butler (for the committee)

I’ve been a resident since 2013 and have body corporate committee experience as a chairperson, secretary & treasurer. I’ve been on government, international, university, professional & community committees and was federal president of my professional association. I graduated from Canberra University, with post graduate qualifications from QUT. I have worked in all levels of government, including as department head, have lectured at universities, represented Australia at WHO, and led a government trade mission to Indonesia & Thailand.

Chris Griffith (for the committee)
Chris Griffith is a technologist, educator, former start-up tech company owner, and longtime national journalist. He has a computer science background, worked in the 1970s worked on mainframe computers and developed and taught computer awareness syllabus for TAFE Victoria. His business specialised in network PC systems and included a strata management system. He later turned to journalism, with roles at The The Sunday Mail, The Courier-Mail and for 12 years as The Australian’s senior technology journalist. Chris wants the committee to operate professionally with its financial dealings open to scrutiny.

How to vote

Complete Management Group should have sent you this AGM notice. The notice includes your voting paper. You need to fill it in, sign it, & either email the completed voting paper to secretary.cts35751@completemanagementgroup.com.au, or post it to The Secretary CTS 35751, c/- P O Box 3571, Australia Fair, Queensland, 4215 before the AGM on October 31. You must be an owner to vote.

TO AVOID VOTER FRAUD, DO NOT ACCEPT A PARTLY FILLED IN BALLOT PAPER FROM ANYONE.

Urgent reforms are needed to body corporate law

Posted on 7 September 20247 September 2024 by Admin

Strong, clear body corporate laws are necessary because in some buildings, relations between owners, the Body Corporate Committee and Body Corporate Manager are at loggerheads. Ill will, legal action, money making schemes, and a lack of transparency in the operation of sinking funds (in many cases holding millions of dollars) are reasons for this. Laws and regulations need to be built on the principles of fostering transparency, accountability and ethical behaviour. State governments will have to shoulder the blame of body corporates being in turmoil if they don’t give owners the tools to ensure they operate beyond reproach.

Here are issues that warrant attention:

As things stand, anyone can set themselves up as a Body Corporate Manager. They should be required to be members of a reputable, accredited Body Corporate manager’s organisation that has an enforceable code of conduct and that sets minimum relevant qualifications and experience.
Owners shouldn’t need to fight to access body corporate financial records, the owners’ roll, committee minutes and other documents. The documents can be available to owners through their individual login credentials to a website or community portal. Virtually all documents are now created electronically and are easily uploaded. Some matters might need to be temporarily embargoed on commercial-in-confidence or other special defined grounds.
Owners should not be charged for a document that can be available through the Body Corporate website or community portal for free. Legislation currently allows our Body Corporate Manager to charge owners more than $1000 for just the owners’ roll, which already exists in digital form, and which could be provided in seconds at the touch of a button. Owners have an unarguable right to see exactly what records exist. They are the owners’ records and should never be inaccessible or secret. There is no need for an owner to have to pay anything to simply download anything to their own computer or mobile.
Where access to documents is refused, the Body Corporate Commissioner’s office should be empowered to instruct the manager to make those documents available straight away. Owners should not have to launch lengthy proceedings before a tribunal to get them. This not only inconveniences owners, it also can cause months of delay and clog the system with lengthy hearings on trivial matters, resulting in inefficiency and an unnecessary cost to taxpayers.
The tribunal process in Queensland needs to be overhauled so that cases are not delayed for lengthy periods. The same applies to appeals. For example, in one case, a legal firm was able to delay a pending appeal for two years, an action that has frustrated residents who won the original adjudicator case and who are then denied implementation by a legal appeal with multiple extensions of preparation time. Extensions can be granted with little justification. Residents can run out of time and funds defending a tribunal decision already made in their favour. That is unjust.
We also hold concern about the enforcement of an adjudicator’s orders. As things stand, a successful appellant has to privately take a matter to the Magistrate’s Court to have an adjudication enforced. Clearly this can be beyond the financial capacity of the average owner, where an adjudicator determines in their favour. Maybe an order should be referred directly to a court if not complied with within a certain time?
Body corporate committees should be required to publish at least monthly updates on ongoing works and timetables for necessary major works. This is especially essential when residents’ safety is at stake.
It should be compulsory for body corporates to use electronic voting for body corporate elections. This will help reduce the incidence of vote rorting, such as the distribution of already filled-in ballot papers to some unit holders. It will also aid interstate and overseas owners who have a right to be active in body corporate affairs.
Any advice to the body corporate on loans and investments should canvas a wide variety of investment options and any recommendations should weigh up those options. Financial advice obtained by a body corporate should be available to owners in full before any financial decision is voted on, to prevent owners being misled.

Owners need these tools to gain access to documents and information to ensure the millions in sinking fund accounts are spent ethically and that these funds do not become a honeypot that attracts unscrupulous operators, who also risk giving body corporates a bad name among potential investors. Clear and strong laws and regulations also will allow disputes about access to documents and other less complex matters to be settled on the spot, rather than be the subject of applications to the Body Corporate Commissioner’s office, resulting in hearings and deliberations which tie-up the office’s scarce resources and waste taxpayers’ money.

Why are we paying to access Body Corporate by-laws?

Posted on 7 September 20248 September 2024 by Admin

We have the ridiculous situation that you pay to obtain a copy of the Body Corporate By-laws which set out the rules you observe as an owner at Southport Central Residential.

So we’re doing something about making it available to owners for free.

Motion 12 on the 2024 voting paper urges owners to vote in favour of free access to the Community Management Statement (CMS). This includes the by-laws for Southport Central Residential, being uploaded to the body corporate portal and that any new CMS also be uploaded.

Body corporate by-laws are a set of rules that a body corporate makes to control and manage:

the common property
body corporate assets
services and facilities provided by the body corporate
the use of lots.

The by-laws also regulate the behaviour of residents on matters such as vehicle parking, the use of recreation facilities, garbage disposal, the keeping of animals, noise, alterations to the interior of lots, wireless and television aerials, and the use and washing of balconies.

It is important that owners and renters be aware of the by-laws which apply to Southport Central Residential as there is a legal obligation to comply with them.

The ‘Residents’ Information Book’ published by the Body Corporate Committee, summarises several of the by-laws and tells residents that ‘a contravention of our by-laws can result in action being taken pursuant to legislation, which may result in a penalty being issued through the Magistrates Court of up to $30,000.00.’

While the Residents’ Information Book, is helpful for renters, owners should have ready access to the actual by-laws, which are far more comprehensive. The Body Corporate Commissioner’s website notes that ‘Many body corporate committees give copies of the by-laws to owners and occupiers, so they know their rights and responsibilities’ – but our committee chooses not to do so.

Normally you access the By-laws by obtaining a paying for a copy of the current Community Management Statement. The By-laws are listed at pages 41-58. The document is available online through ‘Titles Qld’ (formerly the Land Titles Office, Queensland) for $45.37, or from the Body Corporate Manager at Southport Central Residential for $66.50.

HOWEVER, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT STATEMENT FOR FREE HERE (PDF FORMAT).

To further assist owners regarding the steps they may take if another owner or occupier has breached the by-laws, follow this link.