All Australian states will be forced to use purified waste water for drinking if the current 100-year drought continues, said the premier of Queensland state yesterday, after being the first to approve recycled water.

"I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water," said Peter Beattie, premier of the tropical state of Queensland.

"These are ugly decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There's no choice. It's liquid gold, it's a matter of life and death," he told local radio.