Bridge contested the marginal seat of Kimberley for the Labor Party at the
1980 state election and won, defeating incumbent Liberal
Alan Ridge, thus becoming the first Aboriginal member of the WA parliament. Bridge promoted the concept of a
water pipeline from the Fitzroy River to Perth. He later went on to promote a larger scale scheme including piping water from northern Queensland rivers to the south-eastern Australian cities. In March 2013, Bridge sued a number of parties for damages after being diagnosed with several asbestos-related conditions including
mesothelioma,
asbestosis, and
pleural disease. Bridge said he had been exposed to asbestos fibre and dust while fulfilling his ministerial duties in the 1980s, and was suing the
Western Australian government, the
Shire of Ashburton,
CSR Limited, Midalco,
Gina Rinehart's company
Hancock Prospecting and
Angela Bennett's Wright Prospecting. He was married to Mavis Bridge from 1960 until her death in March 2009 and had two daughters and two sons. ==Honours==