A $500 million package to help deal with the problems facing the Great Barrier Reef has been announced by the Federal Government.

The funding, to be unveiled today, will go towards improving water quality, tackling the crown-of-thorns starfish, and expanding reef restoration.

It will also help develop coral that is more resistant to high temperatures and light stress.

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said the reef was under a lot of pressure but those challenges could be overcome.

"We'll be improving the monitoring of the reef's health and the measurement of its impacts," he said from Cairns in Far North Queensland.

"The more we understand about the reef, the better we can protect it."

He said the funding represented the single largest investment for reef conservation and management in Australia's history.