The NWA as a model delivers value to government that is both functional and symbolic. The centralising function of the NWA model creates efficiency for Government consultation. The community membership and general representativeness of the Alliances supports the credibility and legitimacy of the advice provided in this forum. Recognising the marginalisation of women in political participation and funding the women’s sector to engage with, and influence, policy symbolises the commitment of Government to more informed and more inclusive policy making.

The NWA as a model is suitable as a vehicle for delivering women’s voices to government and is contributing directly to this outcome. The model is suitable for supporting the achievement of the WLDP objectives, but additional resourcing and support are needed to effectively leverage this contribution. The achievement of WLDP outcomes relies on a broad range of factors, particularly whether the women’s voices delivered to government via the NWAs result in more effective policy. A more comprehensive evaluation including outcome data and the perspectives of women themselves (especially marginalised women) and the women’s sector is necessary to fully assess the model’s impact. 

This evaluation provides indicative findings that may support the optimisation of the model for achieving both NWA specific objectives and those of the WLDP more broadly. This section is arranged around key design considerations, those being: purpose, representation, collaboration, and resourcing.