Virtual AGM Best Practices for Associations and Companies

Most boards and committees already understand the importance of “fair” voting. Where things get harder is turning that principle into a process members actually trust — and can see working. Across associations, clubs, strata schemes, unions and professional bodies, I still see the same friction point: members don’t question outcomes because they suspect wrongdoing. They […]

Proxy voting sounds simple. A member can’t attend a meeting, so they appoint someone else to vote on their behalf. In practice, though, proxy voting is one of the areas where meetings regularly run into disputes. Late proxy forms, unclear voting directions, questions about who can act as a proxy, arguments over chairperson discretion — […]

For many organisations, hybrid AGMs have gone from being a contingency plan to becoming the preferred meeting format. Members expect flexibility. Some want to attend in person. Others are interstate, travelling, working remotely, or simply prefer to join online. A well-run hybrid AGM can increase participation and make meetings more accessible without sacrificing governance standards. […]

Annual General Meetings can look straightforward on paper. Send the notice. Hold the meeting. Count the votes. In practice, AGMs are where governance problems often surface. Poor notice periods, unclear voting procedures, disputes over proxies, technology failures, quorum issues, and procedural mistakes can quickly turn a routine meeting into a governance headache. Whether you’re running […]

AGM Voting Rules Explained for Australian Organisations Every year, organisations spend weeks preparing for their AGM. The agenda is finalised, notices are issued, reports are prepared, and directors or committee members are nominated. Then the voting starts. This is where many organisations become uncertain. Questions around proxies, poll voting, electronic voting, quorum requirements, member eligibility […]

If you’ve ever chaired an AGM, attended a strata meeting, sat on a club committee, or managed a member vote, you’ve probably heard someone call for a poll after a show of hands has already taken place. For many organisations, that’s the moment confusion starts. People often assume a vote is a vote. In practice, […]

Trust sits at the centre of every election. Whether it’s a shareholder vote, a union ballot, an AGM resolution or a board election, people want to know two things: that their vote stayed private, and that it was counted properly. As more organisations across Australia move toward online and hybrid voting, the focus has shifted […]

When enterprise bargaining reaches a standstill, employees and unions sometimes consider industrial action as part of the negotiation process. In Australia, that action cannot simply begin overnight. Before protected industrial action can legally occur, a protected action ballot must first be approved by the Fair Work Commission (FWC). For many organisations, unions and employee representatives, […]

When people think about voting systems in Australia, most immediately picture preferential voting used in federal elections. However, board elections for companies, associations, unions and member-based organisations can operate very differently. One method that occasionally appears in constitutions and governance frameworks is cumulative voting. For organisations running board elections, understanding how cumulative voting works is […]

If you’ve ever sat through a strata meeting and wondered why one owner seems to have more influence than another, you’re not imagining it. In Australian strata voting, not every vote is equal. Some owners hold multiple lots. Others hold larger unit entitlements. And depending on the type of motion being voted on, those numbers […]