1. About this report

The Outlook Report contains brief background information on the Region, its ecosystems, heritage values, use and management, and the key evidence for the assessment required under legislation.

The information featured in this Outlook Report is a portion of all that is known about the Region with a focus on research and information sources from the past five years. The reporting period generally includes data from January 2019 to December 2023 and, where possible, compares it with historical trends. Evidence is drawn from the best available published science, data sets and knowledge based on:

• relevance to the required assessments
• duration of study
• extent of area studied
• reliability (such as consistency of results across different sources, peer review and rigour of study).

Published peer-reviewed literature from technical experts is prioritised for most assessments. Long-term data sets and peer-reviewed monitoring program reports are considered highly persuasive evidence. Statistics from government-managed entities (for example, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Maritime Safety Authority) are integral to the analysis in several chapters. Consultant reports may also be considered as part of the available evidence, but do not hold as much weight (particularly if not peer-reviewed). 

The perspectives and knowledge of First Nations peoples have been incorporated through co-produced place-based stories, participation in workshops and, where available, published literature and reports (Section 1.7). 

In some cases, information that became available in early 2024 has been included, where it was considered to make a significant difference to a key finding of the Outlook Report. Sources for the evidence used in each chapter are cited in the text. Web addresses provided in the report’s references list were correct at the time of writing. Despite the volume of information available, many aspects of the Region — its values, uses and threats, in particular cumulative effects — remain poorly understood. Significant information gaps are noted in the text.