Bridget McKenzie believes a link between climate change and drought is "a long bow to draw".
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The Wodonga-based Nationals senator got into a debate with the Greens' Sarah Hanson-Young in Parliament this week, with both claiming they were right when it came to the science of climate change.
Senator Hanson-Young asked if the minister would "accept the science and acknowledge that there is a link between climate change and drought?".
Senator McKenzie said she did accept the science, but they were "playing merry-go-rounds" with the debate.
"When we have the variabilities in the climate that we have right now, it's not unusual for Australia to be in drought," she said.
"It's unusual for it to be as devastating as this one, but it's not unusual.
"So to say that climate change per se in the present has been responsible for all of the droughts that our country has been through over the last two centuries, and previously, is a long bow to draw."
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She said the government's $5 billion future drought fund would assist farmers and communities over the coming years to address climate change and their resilience to the droughts and heatwaves that will hit Australia.
"I could shut down every coal-fired power station today, right now, and I tell you what, Sarah - we'd still be in drought, our farmers would still be doing it tough," Senator McKenzie said.
Senator Hanson-Young accused her of not providing a straight answer.
"This government continues to have its head buried in the sand when it comes to climate change, when it comes to drought and when it comes to the emergency that we are in," she said.
"The only thing this government wants to do is tell people 'pray for rain, and we'll build some dams so that next time there's a drought we might be OK.'
"It is not a plan for the future and it is not a plan for struggling farmers and our struggling river system today."
Meanwhile, the federal government announced on Thursday it would provide lump sum payments to more than 30,000 farmers facing drought.
Under the changes, farmers who come to the end of their eligibility for the farm household allowance, can receive a payment of up to $13,000 for couples and $7500 for singles.
