Reef Assist program

The $33.5 million Reef Assist program (the program) delivers environmental projects and creates regional jobs for Queenslanders in the Great Barrier Reef catchment.

The program has created alternative employment opportunities in highly tourism-dependent regions impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also delivered a range of environmental outcomes, including those linked to the Queensland Government’s ongoing priority of protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

The initial stage of the Reef Assist program, Reef Assist 1.0 commenced in October 2020 with a total investment of $13.5 million delivered over a two-year period in the Wet Tropics, Burdekin and Mackay Whitsunday regions. Eleven initial projects were delivered in partnership with local governments, natural resource management organisations and public and private organisations with a proven track record in environmental restoration.

Read more about the projects delivered during 2020–2022 under Reef Assist 1.0.

The Queensland Government invested $20 million into the program for Reef Assist 2.0, which is estimated to generate around 135 more regional jobs across the entire reef catchment.

Reef Assist 2.0 projects

Eleven Reef Assist 2.0 projects were contracted in 2022 across multiple remote, regional, peri-urban and urban locations, building on the success of the initial Reef Assist 1.0 program.

Many of the projects provide valuable opportunities for First Nations participants to undertake practical work on Country, with approximately half of the jobs created being filled by First Nations people, and over a quarter of the jobs being undertaken by youth, many in their first paid employment.

In addition to creating jobs and providing diverse training programs which upskill participants, there is a wide range of landscape repair work underway which will lead to improvement in the quality of water entering the Reef.

On-ground activities include:

• gully and streambank restoration
• riparian revegetation
• natural wetland restoration and constructed wetland development
• cane drainage management systems
• urban development erosion management
• pastoral land management

Three projects were completed in late 2024 in the Cape York, Burdekin and Fitzroy regions.

Wet Tropics region

Greening Australia: Wet Tropics Wetland and Cane Drainage Water Quality Treatment Systems

• repair and revegetation of wetlands and riparian cane drainage systems in the Mulgrave catchment to deliver improved Great Barrier Reef water quality
• undertaken in partnership with Wanyurr-Majay Aboriginal Corporation and Mulgrave Landcare.

Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation: Daintree River Wawu Dimbi Riparian Revegetation

• establishment of a substantial 630 metre rainforest corridor along the Daintree River at the culturally significant Wawu Dimbi “Place of Spirits”, providing habitat for marsupials such as the Bennet’s Tree Climbing Kangaroo, Spotted Quoll and Southern Cassowary, among other species.

Jaragun Ecoservices: Restoration of Wetland Function in the Russell River Catchment

• revegetation of both natural and constructed wetlands for reductions in dissolved inorganic nitrogen pollutant loads to the Great Barrier Reef
• provision of professional development opportunities including formal training in maritime operations, horticulture, first aid and fire management to leadership training.

Johnstone Region Landcare Group: Cassowary Coast Propagation and Riparian Repair Project

• revegetation of riparian sites along the Johnstone River reducing sediment and nutrient loads entering waterways and extending corridors and habitats for wildlife (including endangered species such as the Southern Cassowary)
• collection of seeds and propagation of over 100,000 native trees for current and future projects.

Wet Tropics Management Authority: Atherton Tablelands Riparian Revegetation Project

• continued work with NQ Land Management Services from the Reef Assist 1.0 Boots on the Ground project, focusing on new sites
• revegetation of degraded Atherton Tablelands landscapes, including planting and maintaining 65,000 seedlings, plus 50,000 seeds collected and propagated.

Burdekin region

Townsville City Council: Townsville Landscape Regeneration through First Nations Knowledge and Delivery

• catchment restoration activities in the Black-Ross basins, including gully, sheet and streambank erosion remediation, and soil and land improvement work
• utilisation of innovative urban development erosion control products and techniques.

Mackay Whitsunday region

Reef Catchments: Mackay Whitsunday Streambank Stewardship Program

• riparian revegetation, bank stabilisation and gully erosion remediation to reduce sediment run-off, undertaken in partnership with three Landcare organisations: Whitsunday Catchment Landcare, Pioneer Catchment Landcare and Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Association, Traditional Owners and First Nations people
• supporting the development of a Healthy Country Plan for Koinjmal Country
• enhance the wetland function and improve ecosystem services of the Sandringham wetland.

Burnett Mary region

Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management (BMRG):  Burnett River Rubyanna Riparian Restoration Project

• wetland and riparian restoration to restore 18.7 hectares of riparian vegetation at the Burnett River Rubyanna site
• environmental training and employment for Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers.

Completed projects