Jo Cooper with her dog, Angus
Front cover of Toppling Towers of Power
When Jo Cooper bought an apartment in Sydney’s Horizon building, it sparked a six-year legal battle that ultimately changed apartment strata law in Australia.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — When Jo Cooper bought an apartment in Sydney’s award-winning Horizon building designed by international renowned architect Harry Seidler, in 2015, she didn’t expect it would spark a six-year legal battle that would ultimately reshape apartment living and strata law in Australia.
At the centre of the dispute was Angus, her miniature schnauzer, banned under an outdated Australian strata by-law.
That fight led to the landmark New South Wales Court of Appeal decision in Cooper v The Owners – _Strata Plan No 58068, which overturned blanket pet bans and placed new constraints on the powers of strata committees. Today, the ruling is considered one of the most influential Australian court decisions of the 21st century, impacting the more than 4.2 million Australians living in strata properties.
Now Cooper is telling the full, explosive story in her new book, Toppling Towers of Power. How one woman defied bullies, fought for justice and change the law for millions.
“Power endures not because it is right, but because too many stand close enough to see it and choose not to act,” Jo Cooper said.
While the case became widely known as a win for pet owners, Jo Cooper says the story runs much deeper. Drawing on documented correspondence, tribunal proceedings and court records, Toppling Towers of Power reframes the dispute as a real-world case study in institutional power. It explores what happens when individuals challenge entrenched systems and why legal victories don’t always end conflict. Legal reform draws boundaries, but culture determines how power is exercised within them, she said.
The book examines how resistance often operates through process rather than open confrontation, and the role bystanders play in enabling or challenging that power.
“Silence is often framed as peace,” Jo Cooper says. “In reality, it is one of the most effective ways power avoids accountability.”
With Australia in a housing crisis the number of apartments being built is set to grow between 35%-50% in the next 10 years. With more Australians live under shared governance structures, Jo Cooper argues the issues raised in her case are more relevant than ever.
“When millions of Australians live under these systems, accountability isn’t a technicality, it’s protection.”
Toppling Towers of Power is a must read for anyone living in an apartment complex, working in the strata management sector, legal industry or interested in social justice.
The book release coincides with the expansion of Cooper’s social impact platform, The Good Warrior, which focuses on mobilising bystanders into active change-makers across governance, workplace culture and community leadership.
Toppling Towers of Power can be purchased from thegoodwarrior.com.au for $49.95. Proceeds will support the ongoing advocacy and prevention work of The Good Warrior, supporting victims of violence, abuse of power and bullying.
https://thegoodwarrior.com.au/
Published by independent Australian book publisher The Book Adviser under the Global Stories imprint. www.thebookadviser.com.au
ENDS
About Jo Cooper
Jo Cooper is an author, artist, keynote speaker and lived-experience advocate whose work explores institutional accountability, power and bystander culture.
Her landmark legal case Cooper v The Owners – _Strata Plan No 58068 reshaped strata law across Australia and is recognised as one of the Top 10 most influential Australian court decisions of the 21st century.
Her advocacy grew from lived experience. After surviving an abusive relationship and experiencing sustained bullying, Cooper became committed to challenging systems that allow abuse of power to persist.
She is the founder of The Good Warrior, a social impact platform dedicated to transforming bystander culture and mobilising individuals to challenge injustice.
Her advocacy is grounded in lived experience, including surviving an abusive relationship and sustained bullying, which informs her work challenging systems that allow abuse of power to persist.
To request an interview, images or a copy of the book please contact:
Simone Heydon, Handle Communications
simone@handle.com.au / 0439 369 258
Simone Heydon
Handle Communications
+61439369258 ext.
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