She was a senior advisor to the former Premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks, Chief of Staff to the former Victorian Minister of Education, Mary Delahunty, and was a founding partner in the research and strategy company Global Workplace Solutions.

[6] During her time at the VTHC, Hutchins was one of the police negotiators for the union movement during the 1998 waterfront dispute, coordinated the WorkCover campaign and was instrumental in obtaining legislative changes to stop trainee and apprentice bullying in the workplace.

Globe Workplace staff have completed major research projects for both state and federal governments into workforce skills shortages in the transport, logistics manufacturing industries.

[9] In 2006, her name was briefly mentioned as a preselection candidate for the NSW state seat of Blue Mountains following the move of Bob Debus to the Federal Parliament.

[12] After Labor's win in the 2014 state election, Hutchins was appointed as Minister for Local Government, Industrial Relations and Aboriginal Affairs.

[14][15] Hutchins returned to the ministry in June 2020 when she was appointed as Minister for Corrections, Youth Justice, Crime Prevention and Victim Support.