Evaluating a decade of reform for ACT Government

Impact Co. partnered with the ACT Government to evaluate the impact, effectiveness and future direction of the ACT Women’s Plan 2016–2026 (the Plan) through a whole-of-government, community-informed process. The evaluation of a decade of reform aimed to shape a more ambitious, accountable and community-informed future for gender equity.

The challenge

The ACT Women’s Plan 2016–2026 is the Territory’s overarching framework for advancing gender equality. Delivered through three action plans over ten years, it sought to improve safety, wellbeing, economic security, leadership opportunities, and access to housing and support for women across the ACT.

As the Plan neared its conclusion, the Office for Women (ACT Health and Community Services Directorate) engaged Impact Co. to assess its performance and generate clear, evidence-based insights to inform the next Plan from 2027.

Our approach

Evaluation is often complex: it needs to make sense of policy, service delivery realities, stakeholder experience and outcomes over time. Our role was to bring clarity to that complexity — asking the right questions, measuring what matters and translating diverse evidence into practical insights the ACT Government could use to shape the next decade of gender equity reform.

The evaluation was anchored in a robust Program Logic and Evaluation Framework, assessing both:

• Process outcomes – how effectively the Plan was designed, coordinated and delivered
• Long-term outcomes – its influence on gender equity outcomes across the ACT

To clarify what was working, why it works, and for whom – we sought to collect evidence and experience to inform our insights. Some of our project activities included:

• A comprehensive review of the Women’s Plan, three action plans, annual reports and related policy
• Quantitative analysis of gender equity and population data
• Surveys with government stakeholders, community organisations and community members
• In-depth consultations and stocktake interviews across government and the community sector

Engagement was central to this evaluation. We worked with stakeholders from multiple Directorates and key community organisations, and our insights were then validated by broad community input to ensure the evaluation reflected diverse lived experience.

What we heard

Stakeholders consistently described the Plan as a critical mechanism for embedding gender equity as a shared responsibility across government. It helped maintain visibility of gender equality issues, enabled cross-government collaboration, and strengthened the case for investment.

At the same time, the next phase presents an opportunity to go further.

Stakeholders highlighted the need for:

• Stronger accountability and coordination across Directorates
• A clearer focus on outcomes and measurable impact
• Deeper co-design with community
• A more explicit intersectional lens to address compounding disadvantage
• A future Plan that is more ambitious, targeted and responsive to lived experience.

What we delivered

Impact Co. provided a comprehensive Evaluation Report, including:

• A clear assessment of effectiveness, implementation and outcomes
• Analysis of key enablers, barriers and system-level challenges
• Evidence-based insights into stakeholder experience
• Five strategic recommendations to guide the design and delivery of the next Plan

Together, these provide the ACT Government with a practical roadmap for a future Plan that is more ambitious, measurable, transparent and grounded in community need.

The impact

This evaluation gives the ACT Government a strong evidence base to shape the next decade of gender equity policy, reform and services. It identifies where progress has been achieved, where structural and governance challenges have limited impact, and what is required to deliver more meaningful, measurable change.

At a time of increasing national focus on gender equality, safety and inclusion, this work positions the ACT to design a future strategy that is more accountable and responsive to the lived experiences of women, girls and gender diverse people.