Murray basin a stark reminder, says Rudd

(AAP) - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the Murray-Darling Basin shows what will happen if society buries its head in the sand rather than act over climate change.

The prime minister and Climate Change Minister Penny Wong on Saturday visited the
lower lakes region of South Australia's Murray-Darling Basin to highlight the need
to act on global warming, following the release on Friday of Professor Ross
Garnaut's draft report on climate change.

With the ailing lake located behind him as he spoke to the media, Mr Rudd said the
visit was a timely reminder of the effects of climate change.
"If you want to see an example of stress from climate change, and where it could go
over time, look at what's behind us here in terms of the Murray-Darling system," Mr Rudd said.

"Therefore, the challenge for us is not to bury our heads in the sand and pretend this problem will just go away.

"It's to act on it, and to act on it both for the immediate term, the medium term
and the long term."

The Rudd government has committed $3.7 billion to water projects for the Murray
system, which was announced after last Thursday's Council of Australian Governments
(COAG) meeting.