In response to the latest grim Drought Update from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, the Federal Water Minister has issued a statement in which she continues the it's all about drought  mantra and also uses the crisis to push the ineffectual CPRS that the Prime Minister wishes to parade in Copenhagen.

FWU has contacted Senator Wong to remind her that it is no more all about climate change than it is all about drought. These are indeed major global issues which are impacting on the Murray-Darling. But she can be quite justifiably accused of dereliction of duty in implying that we must largely rely on the Commonwealth's "Water For the Future" plan to address the worsening situation in the Basin.

What is urgently required is for the Prime Minister to declare of a State of Emergency, prior to leaving on his Scandinavian trip, to enable the Federal Government to remove the Basin States and the ACT from the broken chain of command and apply a radical rethink to management, placing the environmental health of the river system and security of public water supply above those of vested interests.

It would also earn Mr Rudd some much-needed environmental Brownie points at the summit.