An anti-mining group has released a video clip of Campbell Newman echoing green sentiments and wishing for an alternative to mining before he was Queensland's premier.
Protesters against coal mining in western Queensland's Galilee Basin have distributed footage of a speech Mr Newman gave as Brisbane Lord Mayor during an Australia Day address four years ago.
"It would be a great idea if rather than digging huge piles of black stuff out of the ground a few hundred kilometres north of here to keep those lights on, perhaps it would be better in the long term for our children, our grandchildren and generations to come that we actually set things up a little differently," he said.
Galilee Blockade campaign spokesman Ben Pennings says in his comments Mr Newman is referring to the Galilee Basin.
"This proves Campbell Newman has changed his mind dramatically on coal," he said.
"The billionaires wanting to mine the Galilee Basin are eco-terrorists."
He said the Galilee Basin projects would threaten the region's underground water supply, the Great Artesian Basin, and the shipping of coal would further damage the Great Barrier Reef.
It would also add to climate change, Mr Pennings claimed.
A spokesman for the premier said Mr Newman had long supported the development of alternative energies and pointed to his support for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
However, green groups have argued LNG is not a cleaner alternative to coal, just another fossil fuel variant.
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