Deep Deliberation and Multiple Lines of Evidence to Monitor the Health of Complex Governance Systems: Reflecting on the Experience from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Deliberative approaches to governance systems analysis and improvement are rare. Using a case study from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, we outline an innovative approach that combines reflexive and interactive engagement processes to: a) develop and design a framework to assess the health of a complex governance system; and b) undertake a benchmark assessment of governance system health. Multiple lines of evidence, including reviewed literature, data visualisation and appreciative inquiry effectively engaged key actors in value judgements about key attributes of governance system health, enabling consensus-building around priorities for transformative action. This was achieved through the inclusion of diverse perspectives about the governance system, analysis of rich datasets, and guidance from the project’s Steering Committee and Technical Working Group. Our inclusive, collaborative approach, its analytical depth and the framework’s repeatability enable continuous monitoring and improvement of the GBR governance system and can be readily applied to complex governance systems elsewhere.