The Great Barrier Reef Independent Review Group (the Reef Review Group) prepared this report to provide an independent analysis of the Australian and Queensland governments’ progress in implementing the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050 Plan).

We have reviewed the 2016 Reef 2050 Plan Annual Report and Addendum and the 2016 Update Report on Progress and Investment Framework. These reports cover the first 18+ months of a 5-year plan which is the first implementation phase of the 35-year Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050 Plan). We have also considered government policy responses to issues not covered in the Reef 2050 Plan but critical to the long-term management of the Reef. Finally, we have looked at the implications of the 2016 mass coral bleaching event on future management of the Reef.