REDLANDS shouldn’t just mirror Brisbane’s Olympic vision – it needs to define its own.
As planning ramps up for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Redlands Coast leaders are being urged to move beyond simply aligning with the host city’s narrative and instead articulate a distinct local vision that reflects the region’s identity, priorities and long-term needs.
Rather than adopting Brisbane’s official Games vision – “Believe. Belong. Become”, the Redlands Coast 2032 Legacy Working Group is asking what a Redlands-specific vision should look like?
Without a clearly defined local vision, Deputy Mayor Julie Talty said Redlands risked being a passive beneficiary of the Games rather than an active architect of its own legacy.
“It was important for the Legacy Working Group to consider how they might encourage opportunities both for the group and the wider community to shape our opportunities for legacy from the 2032 Brisbane Olympics,” Cr Talty said.
The Redlands Coast 2032 Draft Legacy Roadmap is currently being developed by Council with the Redlands Coast 2032 Legacy Working Group and is aimed at amplifying the social, economic, cultural, environmental and other benefits of the Games.
Mayor Jos Mitchell said, “We want to ensure the roadmap is a representation of our city’s collective goals and aspirations, which is exactly why the legacy group has been canvassing insights and ideas from key stakeholders across a broad range of sectors.”
Champion Redlands Coast CEO Cindy Corrie said the region had a unique opportunity to carve out its own identity within the Games framework.
“It should be bold and authentically Redlands,” Ms Corrie said.
“Queensland wants the same thing – transport and connectivity, economic legacy, sporting legacy and social legacy.
“But Redlands has so much to offer that Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast do not – a unique environment with a scattering of islands, a ‘hinterland’ of sorts that includes a local winery and trails to explore, and foreshores and cultural precincts.
“So, we have to be intentional about legacy.”
Cr Talty said positioning Redlands distinctly within the Olympic landscape would be critical to unlocking those outcomes.
“One of the opportunities would be ensuring that Redlands can be recognised separately from Brisbane, the naming of the white-water facility as a Redlands-specific place is one way to do that,” she said.
“Ensuring the place of Redlands as a Junior Games Partner and taking every opportunity to name us as such will help attract economic investment.”
Ms Corrie said Champion Redlands Coast would continue advocating for the region’s role despite not being represented on the working group.
“Champion Redlands Coast have been consistent supporters of our Olympic venue for many years, and the potential legacy benefits for our city,” she said.
“While we are not represented on the Legacy Working Group, we will continue to work with key stakeholders in ensuring our city is best positioned to build that legacy.
“It will not be handed to us by the Olympics alone – it will take a concerted and collaborative effort.”
There was also strong support for building a local “community of practice” – a network of regional expertise that can guide, implement and evaluate legacy initiatives well beyond 2032.
Critically, the group acknowledged that any Olympic legacy plan must integrate with existing Council strategies, particularly the draft Economic Development Strategy 2026-2031.
Ms Corrie said the Games presented major economic and investment opportunities if the region positioned itself strategically.
But she warned the risks of inaction were significant.
“If Redlands doesn’t define its own legacy vision, it will inherit one by default,” Ms Corrie said.
“It’s the difference between ‘participating’ in the Games and using it as a catalyst for the city’s future.”
Cr Talty said community buy-in would shape the success of any legacy plan.
“Giving the community opportunities to make suggestions, take part in events, get enthused and feel local ownership of decisions that drive legacy, like the naming of the centre, is one way to connect the future opportunities and the current opportunities for our community,” she said.
