Jane Hutchison convenes the WA Forest Alliance (WAFA). She is a retired academic with expertise in the political economy of social change and development effectiveness. For many years a member of the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University, she undertook research and consultancies focused on low-wage workers, informal settlers, small-holder and women farmers and aid program beneficiaries in their interactions with more powerful actors. Her publications include the co-authored Political Economy and the Aid Industry in Asia (2014) and the co-edited Handbook on Governance and Development (2022). She remains on the Editorial Board of Journal of Contemporary Asia.
Jane has extensive NGO board experience having been a member and Chair of the Oxfam Australia Board, a member of the Oxfam International Board of Supervisors and Chair of the Governance Committees of both Boards. She was an academic member of the National Steering Committee of Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies (2009-2015) and the DFAT-funded Research for Development Impact (RDI) Network Committee (2014-2018). She is currently a member of the WA Charitable Collections Advisory Committee for the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety. She has completed the Governance for Social Impact course with The Centre for Social Impact (UNSW).
Jane lives and gardens on beautiful Wadandi Boodja in the Witchcliffe Ecovillage. She chairs her strata council and is pursuing a Certificate in Visual Arts.