Coral bleaching has now impacted reefs worldwide. We have entered an era of near-annual bleaching events and an accumulation of environmental stressors driving change on coral reefs. Here we ask – how do we better understand, define and quantify, coral health and coral reef ecosystem health in this era of ecosystem change. Assoc. Prof. Tracy Ainsworth and Dr Coulson Lantz present recent research documenting coral bleaching events of the past two years on reefs along Australia’s east coast reef habitats including the southern Great Barrier Reef, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, and discuss the importance of understanding coral reef change, and the consequences to coral and reef health, across the reef ecosystems of Australia. Dr Lantz will also discuss a new home for coral reef health data which aligns with emerging trends in environmental accounting and how coral reef scientists around the world can help.