The implementation of the current model enables the delivery of women's voice to government, but more could be done to enhance collaborations between the Alliances and Government. Grant guidelines designate objectives to collaborate with policymakers to inform Government, however, there is variation in interpretations of the extent to which, and how, informing policy should influence policy outcomes. There is no commitment for the NWA model to direct or change policy development. However, the delivery of WLDP objectives to improve social and economic outcomes for women relies on the development of more inclusive and enabling policy. These mismatches between the NWA model and the goals of the WLDP highlight the need for greater clarity and structure on how policy collaborations between the Alliances and Government should occur.

Collaboration with OfW primarily occurs via relationship management. However, the resourcing of OfW staff primarily for formal grant management appears to, at times, result in transactional relationships between Alliances and their relationship managers. Continued emphasis on administrative controls is likely to inhibit trust building, reinforce power imbalances, and raise consciousness of resource dependency. Some Alliance interviewees noted that more recognition from Government about their work including positive acknowledgements from the Minister’s Office—would help enhance the relationship and boost morale among NWA staff.

There were variations in this experience both across Alliances and within Alliances over time, with some participants reporting strong and high-quality relationships, both currently or historically. However, a lack of trust (from both directions) is apparent in some instances, exacerbated by a lack of continuity in personnel in both the OfW and Alliances. In line with earlier evaluations of the model, Alliance interviewees frequently described a desire for a more collaborative relationship with Government, and a lack of feedback on material or advice provided during reporting procedures. To enhance the relationship between NWA and OfW, consideration should be given to resourcing relationship building, including time for meaningful engagement between Alliance representatives and OfW, and support for appropriate role clarity and capability development amongst OfW and Alliances.

Some interviewees noted that better communication between OfW and NWA would allow Alliances to forecast upcoming policy requests from government and proactively develop advice. Other interviewees believed that Alliances would have more substantial policy impact if Government familiarised them with the Australian policy cycle, and provided more support for ad-hoc and urgent policy requests. If policy change is a key outcome of the NWA, more support, communication, and guidance on the role of NWAs and their value to the policy ‘system’ would maximise the program’s impact.

Collaboration with policy makers is primarily possible via government consultation activity. However, there is significant variation in the scope and timing of this engagement, and there were few examples of formalised or fully embedded models of collaboration. Descriptions of policy engagement by both Alliance and Government interviewees illustrate a largely unstructured and ad hoc approach to Alliances’ engagement with policy makers. Whilst policy insights from the Alliances were described positively in interviews, the process by which the engagement occurs could have an improved structure. For policymakers to fully realise the value add of Alliances’ insights, policymakers should be encouraged to engage with Alliances in the stages of policy development in which lived experience or implementation insights are most valuable and most impactful. Additionally, policymakers may benefit from explicit guidance from the OfW and NWA on inclusive policy making, engagement with marginalised communities and the value of lived experience, to support capability development in inclusive policy making.

Consideration of future collaborative designs can be informed by examining existing network relationships relevant to the NWA model, and when, and how, higher levels of collaboration may be valuable, depending on available time, trust, and willingness to work together. Figure 3 below presents a stakeholder network map for the NWA program, including current forms of engagement between different groups. These relationships differ in the degree of collaboration undertaken, ranging from information-based networking to collaborating. Although collaboration is a stated objective of the model, analysis revealed that relationships within the network more often consist only of information sharing, which may be less likely to contribute to strategic objectives around effective policy or women’s leadership and development. More collaborative and partnership-based structures would also better support the embedding of the feminist expertise captured in the NWA model.