The public service is drunk on its own power and has forgotten it's there to serve Queenslanders, the state's would-be premier says.

Liberal National Party leader Campbell Newman has attacked the culture within the public service, saying it's forgotten its core purpose.

He named the Department of Environment and Resource Management as "the biggest problem department in the state" saying it was controlled by the green lobby.

"The whole government needs to get a reality check in the way that it's operating," Mr Newman told a gathering of LNP members in Cairns today.

"The culture can be characterised [as] 'we're in charge, we've got the power, you do as you're told, fill out the form, pay the fee or we'll take you to court and we'll fine you'.