UPDATE: TWO anti-coal protesters have hijacked Energy Minister Martin Ferguson's launch of the federal government's energy white paper.

The protesters, Dominic O'Dwyer and a man who called himself Fregmonto Stokes, from the Quit Coal Group, walked onto the stage holding paper masks of Mr Ferguson, forcing the minister to stand aside during his speech at the CEDA event.

It took several minutes for staff to get the protesters off the stage, during which time they "congratulated" Mr Ferguson on his energy white paper.

One sang a song apparently related to the impact of carbon emissions on climate change.

"Fergo, Fergo. Don't worry about that global warming. It's just those hippies moaning. It's all about coal. You make a great big hole," he sang.

They were among about six members of the Quit Coal Group at the event, some of whom were sitting in the media section.

The duo were eventually ejected from the Hilton Hotel in central Melbourne.

Outside the hotel, Mr Stokes told AAP he had stormed the stage "to support Mr Ferguson and congratulate him for developing brown coal industry in Victoria".

Mr O'Dwyer was among a group of several protesters who disrupted the start of a speech by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott last Friday.

A few minutes into Mr Abbott's address to the Melbourne Institute/The Australian 2012 Economic and Social Outlook conference, Mr O'Dwyer appeared on the stage saying he was happy to see Mr Abbott and looked forward to him becoming prime minister.

He noted the opposition leader thought global warming "is a bunch of crap".

Mr Abbott was also mobbed by a small group of protesters as he reached his car when leaving the conference.

Mr O'Dwyer was involved in a scaling of Victoria's Parliament House in September and the unfurling of an anti-coal sign.