The CSIRO says the drought can mostly be attributed to Australia's normal weather patterns but says global warming has intensified it.
The head of climate change impacts and risk for the CSIRO, Penny Whetton, says for thousands of years droughts have happened every few years in different parts of the country.
She says due to human influence on the climate system, or global warming, there will be higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns.
She says conditions will become drier in the southern half of Australia and wet years will become less frequent in the next 50 years or so.
"There will always be the wet years and there will always be the dry years and the dry years are likely because of El Nino," she said.
"However because of the climate change effect, human influence, we'd expect the dry years to become a bit more dry and a little bit more frequent as time goes by."
