Campbell Newman questioned the need to extract more coal in central Queensland in 2011, citing its environmental impact, a video released by anti-coal protesters reveals.

The video - recorded on January 21, 2011 at Brisbane's main Australia Day awards ceremony when Mr Newman was the city's lord mayor - was released on Wednesday.

At the function Mr Newman was speaking about Brisbane City Council's decision to buy electricity from green electricity sources to power city buildings, lights and traffic signals.

"We are just saying this - it would be a great idea if rather than digging up 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 the generations to come that we set things up a bit differently."

He concluded his speech by telling the audience that his council made a point of buying all its electricity from green energy sources.

The council still buys all its electricity from green power sources.

A spokesman for Mr Newman said the Premier had "long supported the development of alternative energies".

"In fact, in December 2014, he announced the LNP's strong plan to kick start Queensland's next wave of alternative energy and fuel production to create new jobs and business opportunities across the state," he said.

However, Ben Pennings from anti-coal group Galilee Blockade said the video should make people ask why Mr Newman had changed his mind since 2011.

"It is pretty clear there that he is saying we should be looking at other options," Mr Pennings said.

"And now he is coal crazy - and certainly state government is different to local government – but there are a lot of questions that need to be asked.

"Particularly in relation to his extreme change in attitude to coal."

Mr Pennings said the video had not been edited, despite a small visual blip.

"It's not the best quality, but it is what it is."

Mr Pennings said the issue of coal companies donating to the LNP also needed to be explored.

"We have been doing some research into the amount of money that coal companies have been donating to National and Liberal parties - both state and federal – and I stopped at $2 million or so."

Fairfax Media in February 2014 reported that New Hope Coal, which has invested in the New Acland coal mine near Toowoomba, had Electricity Minister Mark McArdle and Environment Minister Andrew Powell as guests in their corporate box at the Wallabies v British and Irish Lions test match in June 2013.

The same report shows that New Hope's parent company, Washington H Soul Pattinson, donated $250,000 to the federal Liberal Party on May 22, 2013.

Washington H Soul Pattinson also donated $1900 to the LNP in Queensland on March 1, 2013.

Mr Pennings said recent changes to electoral donation legislation had made it very hard to learn how much mining companies had donated to the party.

On Wednesday Mr Newman hit back at similar claims, namely that the approval of the New Acland coal mine's expansion was linked to the mine's parent company, Soul Pattinson, donating $650,000 to the LNP over three years.

"Of course not, and what we're seeing from the Labor party are the same tactics we saw last time," Mr Newman said, referring to political attacks on his family during the 2012 campaign.

Mr Newman said he could prove political donations would not influence his government.

"I'll give you two words: Clive Palmer," he said, referring to the mining magnate allegedly seeking preferential treatment for his project in the Galilee Basin.

"Who was the biggest donor (to the LNP) previously?

"I've given you the name and we said no when he asked for something to be done that wasn't kosher."