The Turnbull government has made the centrepiece of its half-billion dollar Great Barrier Reef rescue package a non-profit group whose revenue was less than $8 million in 2017 and which had little advance notice of the plan.

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation was revealed two weeks ago as the government's partner to disperse $444 million to tackle water quality, crown of thorns starfish and improving the resilience of corals to climate change.

Anna Marsden, the foundation's chief executive, declined to detail how much of a heads-up her group of six full-time and five part-time employees, had got, saying: "We didn’t have much time before the announcement to be prepared for it.

A diver swims among fish and coral on Flynn Reef off Cairns. Credit:Jason South

"It’s like we’ve just won lotto - we’re getting calls from a lot of friends," she said, stressing that her organisation was seeking advice on how to cope with the surge of funds.