The big dry has become worse in Central Australia and is stubbornly persisting across much of the country, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Climate change was partly to blame, the bureau said in its latest monthly drought statement.

"The combination of record heat and widespread drought during the past five to 10 years over large parts of southern and eastern Australia is without historical precedent and is, at least partly, a result of climate change," the statement said.

The southern part of the Northern Territory, parts of far western Queensland, and areas around Marree in South Australia were suffering from serious rainfall deficiencies.

Long-term rainfall deficiencies persisted from the coast of South Australia across much of Victoria and into south-west NSW, and also covered south-east Queensland and northern South Australia.

"The pattern is very similar to that observed at the end of March, but as April 2008 was drier than April 2006 in most areas, there was a slight increase of these two-year deficits," said the statement, which covered the period up until the end of April.

One bright spot was south-west Western Australia which had a wet April.

Record low rainfalls remained on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, near Melbourne and in parts of Tasmania.

An area east of Alice Springs which was recording lowest rainfalls on record had increased slightly.

The drought was so bad it would take years of decent rainfall to return the country to normal, the Bureau said.

"The worst of the long-term deficiencies are likely to remain for some time," the statement said.

"The deficiencies (discussed) have occurred against a backdrop of decade-long rainfall deficits and record high temperatures that have severely stressed water supplies in the east and south-west of the country."

"Several years of above average rainfall are required to remove the very long-term deficits."

SOURCE: AAP