Does it sound any less ridiculous in Australia?
By Lethbridge Herald on December 4, 2025.
Chris Spearman
For the Herald
Imagine for a moment there is a Canadian oil exploration company named “Southfront Resources” with unlimited cash and is eager to drill for oil in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.
To gain local support, they add a koala and a kangaroo to their corporate logo and begin sponsoring cricket matches and Aussie Rules Football events.
Even more endearing to the Australians, the Southfront CEO maintains he has deep Australian roots claiming his ancestors were on the early expeditions when Europeans discovered Australia and were proven members of Britain’s criminal export.
Initially, Southfront’s application for exploratory drilling in the Great Barrier Reef is rejected by a joint federal and state review panel. They challenge the joint panel decision in the Australian courts three times but lose each appeal.
Southfront then changes tactics and begins using their unlimited financial resources to buy regulatory favour for their project hoping to prey on unethical politicians and a complacent public.
In the past, they’ve had extensive success in Canada with “dark backroom” lobbying strategies to gain political influence. So they apply the same techniques in Australia. They hire former prime ministerial aides and former politicians with deep connections to the back rooms of the halls of power, and they pay millions to these mercenaries for access and influence — at the national, regional and local level.
The lobbying tactics work in Southfront’s favour. Policies forbidding oil exploration in the Great Barrier Reef are revoked by the state government opening the door for Southfront, and other Canadian oil speculators, to acquire exploration rights.
This happens despite the state having recent and extensive scientific research reports documenting the environmental harm that would result from offshore oil drilling. The state and Southfront choose to ignore this documentation, or consider how the drilling would negatively impact the economy in the area.
Following a huge backlash of concern from Australians, the state then reverses their policy actions prompting the Canadian speculators to begin suing the state government for reverting back to the old policy, believing large sums of money are now owed to them for this policy reversal.
The state government settles “out of court” with these companies, compensating them for three times what they spent to avoid having politicians testify in a court of law.
Public opinion continues to solidly oppose Southfront’s plans.
But Southfront sees this as a no lose opportunity and increases their spending on initiatives directed at creasing political and community support, in the expectation that their costs will be reimbursed by taxpayers if their oil exploration is halted for any reason.
Southfront hires a reputable pollster and pays the full cost of conducting a poll designed to get results that appear to demonstrate majority support for oil exploration in the sensitive Great Barrier Reef.
They double down on their marketing and messaging efforts to create a more favourable image.
They increase support for local charities. They remind Australians of the many benefits to be gained from the oil extracted.
Southfront further insists that new oil exploration methods in the Great Barrier Reef can be done responsibly causing no harm to the environment. However, when questioned about how this can be done, or to provide an existing example, they have no evidence to support that this has been done previously, or ever could be done.
Well, all of the above is, technically, a fiction—at least as it would relate to oil exploration off the coast of Australia. It is provided for your reading pleasure, but it may provide a different context to some of what is happening in Canada.
Any similarity to what is currently occurring in Alberta with Northback Holdings and the Canadian Rockies might be coincidental. Or not. Albertans may need to ask some deep questions.
Chris Spearman is a former Lethbridge mayor and the spokesperson for the Water for Food group
21-20
Using the lefts favourite lines, Fiction and conspiracy theory from the “blob”. The “blob” meets reality below. Still think you and Lund should get a petition going to stop siphoning water from Haig Creek to make snow. Look at all the bacteria being spread over a local ski hill. Disgusting.
https://www.joannenova.com.au/2025/12/big-wind-and-solar-investors-flee-australia-electricity-prices-rise-37-and-blackout-warnings-fill-the-news/
https://www.joannenova.com.au/2025/12/blob-says-hands-up-electricity-prices-will-rise-unless-the-poor-help-the-rich-buy-batteries-and-solar-panels/
I know, bacteria on the snow is the top concern we are facing as a society. Keep up the good work, bucky.
If it was Smith you would be apoplectic with hair on fire. Quick grab your mask.
‘angry because my hair was on fire’? I guess so.
Are you saying Smith has bacteria on her?
Very similar to the tactics Northback is using to win over the Pass residents and the UCP. They poured millions into the community starting with a new 18 hole golf course complete with clubhouse. Northback claims they’ve spent over $150 million on the Grassy Mtn project which includes money they’ve thrown at the pass residents trying to get their favorite. Then just to be on the safe side Northback sues the Alberta govt for $2.2 billion of taxpayer dollars.
Yeh they want the two billion Notley et al cost us because the couldn’t read a contract. Haha
Just heard that buckwheat is famous on Bluesky, who woulda thought?
Is UCP party is populated by nut hatches?
Blue sky is for lefties and liberals. You’ll fit in
Spearman continues to live in disjointed fantasy, not unlike when he thought he was a contender Member of Parliament in Lethbridge! After being laughed out of that contest you would think he would have realized his nothingness!
That was informative, HP. But so much rage … What would Baby J think?
Reminds me of another alderman wannabe by the initials HP, a regular, or used to be a regular, in these columns . He of the self righteous , far right MAGA worshiping , genuflecting personage admiring the psycho down south. At least Spearman got elected and became mayor, unlike HP’s useless attempts.
Heavy on the ‘useless’.
Read um and weep!
Sorta like the Agri Center and SCS fiasco only bigger eh