There’s a pattern emerging in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and it’s not one that should sit comfortably with the Redlands community.
This morning, a forum titled Positioning Redlands Coast Businesses for 2032 was held to discuss opportunities tied to the Games.
It should have been a moment to inform, inspire and bring the broader community along for the journey.
Instead, it has become another example of how quickly confidence can erode when transparency is sidelined.
A local newspaper — invited as a guest of the Redlands Coast Chamber of Commerce — was asked to leave.
Not for disrupting proceedings. Not for breaching conduct. But simply for being there.
Let’s be clear – this was not a private boardroom meeting or a confidential council meeting.
It was a forum about Olympic opportunities — public, taxpayer-backed opportunities — that will shape the region for decades.
Decisions made in these rooms will influence infrastructure, investment, jobs and the very identity of the Redlands.
And yet, the one group capable of sharing that information beyond the walls of the venue was excluded.
That matters.
Because media presence is not about creating discomfort.
It is about accountability.
It is about ensuring that what is said behind a microphone can also stand up in the light of day.
The reaction online has been telling.
Some argue guest lists should be respected, a fair point in strictly private settings.
Others say media can inhibit open discussion is also a consideration.
But those arguments fall short when the subject matter is public interest on a massive scale.
As Councillor Shane Rendalls pointed out, excluding media doesn’t just remove coverage on the day, it limits the reach of the message to the thousands of residents and businesses who weren’t in the room.
And here’s the uncomfortable question. If the goal is to build awareness, why reduce the audience?
The optics are worse when conflicting explanations emerge.
Claims of no available seats versus observations of empty chairs.
Whether that discrepancy is minor or meaningful, it feeds a broader perception problem.
Because perception, in public life, is everything.
This incident also lands awkwardly alongside Mayor Jos Mitchell’s recent #RaiseTheBar campaign — a call to improve standards, behaviour and respect in politics.
Transparency is not a slogan. It is a practice.
And it is tested not when things are easy, but when scrutiny is present.
The Redlands has already faced growing debate around major Olympic-linked proposals from infrastructure priorities to long-term legacy projects.
Community trust will be essential if the region is to navigate these decisions successfully.
Moments like this chip away at that trust.
To be fair, there may have been miscommunication between the chamber and the council organisers over our late invitation.
There may have been uncertainty about protocols. These things happen.
But the solution in that moment was simple. Find a way to include, not exclude.
Because once the media is asked to leave, the story is no longer about the opportunity, it becomes about the decision to shut the door.
And that is a story that travels much further.
If the Redlands is serious about making the most of the 2032 Olympics, it needs to bring the community with it, not just those lucky enough to be on a guest list.
Open rooms build confidence. Closed doors invite questions.
