Activist to sue Palmer over treason claims

Queensland Greens founder Drew Hutton plans to sue billionaire Clive Palmer, saying the mining magnate has accused him of treason.

Mr Palmer on Tuesday claimed Greenpeace, the Greens, and activists including Mr Hutton were part of a conspiracy to undermine Australian mining interests.

He said a plan by Greenpeace to launch legal action against future coal mining projects was funded by the US-based Rockefeller Foundation, which he said was in turn funded by the Central Intelligence Agency.

He said the Greens and Mr Hutton, who founded the party's Queensland chapter, were "tools" of the US government, whose plan was to harm Australian interests to benefit American ones.

The Greens were being funded by "an offshore political power" and that was tantamount to treason, Mr Palmer said.

Mr Hutton, a vocal anti-coal seam gas activist, said he would outline his plan to sue Mr Palmer later on Wednesday.

"Treason is a capital offence in many countries," Mr Hutton said in a statement.

"As a proud Australian, I am disgusted by these bizarre and dishonest allegations."

The political action group GetUp will use Mr Hutton's press conference to release a video in response to Mr Palmer's allegations.

"It is extraordinary for Mr Palmer to allege community action groups like Greenpeace and GetUp are somehow working in cahoots with the CIA," GetUp's national director Simon Sheikh said.

"The claims are as offensive as they are ridiculous."

Mr Hutton, Mr Sheikh and Greenpeace senior campaigner John Hepburn will address media outside parliament house in Brisbane at 1pm.