Queensland Reef Water Quality Program

With the Great Barrier Reef under increasing pressure from a number of threats, improving Reef water quality is a key priority for the Queensland Government as it can be managed locally.

Climate change is the biggest threat and the government has set bold but achievable targets for reducing emissions while creating jobs through the Queensland Climate Action Plan.

The most manageable threat to Reef health is reducing pollutant run-off to local waterways. In particular, sediment, nutrients and pesticides affect the health of coral and seagrass ecosystems.

The government has committed $289.6 million over five years to 2025–2026 to continue the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program which funds a range of projects working with industry, agricultural producers, communities and Traditional Owners. Funding for some projects has been extended to 2026–2027.

The $289.6 million is made up of:

• $270.1 million allocated to the program from the Queensland 2021–2022 budget
• $10 million allocated to the Reef Credits Scheme
• $9.5 million balance remaining from the discontinued Farming in Reef Catchments Rebate Scheme reallocated to continue supporting farmers.

Initially developed in response to the recommendations of the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce, the program builds on previous successes and the goal is to accelerate progress towards the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan (Reef 2050 WQIP) targets.

While the main source of water pollution is agriculture, urban and industrial areas can create concentrated pollution that has important local impacts.

The program delivers projects under seven work areas which are aligned to the Reef 2050 WQIP implementation work areas.

QRWQP work areas and what's being done

Supporting the agricultural industry
($123.6 million)

• Voluntary best management practice and incentives programs including Smartcane BMP, Banana BMP, Hort360 BMP and Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions
• Support for on-ground practice change programs for the sugarcane, grazing, banana and horticultural industries, which includes tailored support from industry agronomic experts through the Sugarcane Practice Change Program and Grazing Practice Change Program
• Agricultural Extension Work Placement Program
• Research and science projects across grazing, sugarcane and horticulture
• Reef protection regulations including compliance
• Fine Scale Water Quality Monitoring Program providing local and timely water quality data to demonstrate how land management practices influence water quality
• Other activities that support the delivery of projects supporting the agricultural industry.

Restoring functional landscapes including soil health
($79.3 million)

• Streambank remediation and gully remediation including funding to support gully research work on Spyglass Research Station in the Burdekin region
• Reef Assist program delivering environmental rehabilitation projects and creating regional jobs and training opportunities across the Reef catchment
• Place-based integrated projects which includes Reef place-based integrated projects, the Atherton Tablelands Integrated Collaboration and Phase 2 of the Wet Tropics and Burdekin Major Integrated Projects
• Wetlands management to implement the Queensland Wetlands Program and the Reef 2050 Wetlands Strategy
• Reef Credit Scheme to recruit brokers to support landholders in establishing Reef Credit projects and help kickstart the Reef Credit market
• Improving threatened species in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area by supporting programs such as the Nest to Ocean Turtle Protection Program which provides active nest protection and predator control for marine turtle hatchlings
• Other activities that support the delivery of land restoration projects.

Urban and point source innovation
($14.4 million)

• Focuses on point source evaluation and innovative approaches to managing urban and non-agricultural run-off.

Foundational science and translation
($3.8 million)

• Guides program development and support tools including land use mapping, nutrient offsetting and Reef science.

Robust governance
($11.1 million)

• Reef Traditional Owner Taskforce
• Reef 2050 WQIP coordination
• Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050 Plan) coordination
• Reef science coordination
• Other planning, governance and program management activities.

Paddock to Reef program and report cards
($47.4 million)

• Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program which provides the framework for evaluating and reporting progress towards the Reef 2050 WQIP targets and Reef water quality report cards to track progress towards these targets
• Regional report card partnerships
• Traditional Owner led inshore coral and marine water quality monitoring in the southern Great Barrier Reef.

Reef Traditional Owner Futures Fund
($10 million)

• Recognises Traditional Owners are best placed to design, own and lead holistic projects and programs, providing education, economic and employment opportunities for Traditional Owners caring for Country.

Everyone living and working on land that drains into local rivers and streams that flow into the Reef and all visitors to the Reef can also help to improve water quality.

If you want to learn more about the current and previous projects including detailed information on QRWQP investment, visit QRWQP annual reports and investment plans and other background documents.