During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals and organisations across all sectors have embraced the benefits of electronic technologies to help them communicate and conduct business and other activities. One of the key objectives of the new regulations is to help modernise body corporate procedures by allowing for greater use of electronic technologies to attend and vote at meetings, and to give and receive documents.

Under the new regulations, from 1 March 2021, voting and non-voting body corporate committee members, and in some cases owners and certain owner representatives, will be able to attend a committee meeting electronically if authorised by the committee.

Committees will be able to authorise electronic attendance:
• for a particular committee meeting or any committee meetings;
• using a particular electronic means, or any electronic means.

A body corporate will also be able to decide, by ordinary resolution, that owners can:
• attend a general meeting by electronic means such a videoconferencing;
• vote electronically.

Documents or other information that may be given under the Act or regulations, such as documents given by owners to a committee or notices of general meetings, or copies of committee meeting minutes given to owners, may be given by email, or by other agreed electronic means such by posting to file-sharing sites. A system for receiving electronic votes, and notices and instructions to owners about electronic voting, must meet certain requirements to ensure the integrity of electronic voting processes.