[1] At the 1990 federal election, Somlyay won the seat of Fairfax for the Liberal Party following Adermann's retirement.

He defeated high-profile Nationals shadow minister John Stone, who was attempting to transfer to the House of Representatives from the Senate.

[1] Somlyay chaired a number of committees during his parliamentary tenure and was chief opposition whip in the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2010.

[10] In his valedictory speech to parliament in June 2013 he stated that his political career had been affected by a range of health issues including "a stroke in 1993 followed by two lots of heart bypass surgeries, seven angioplasties, a pacemaker, diabetes and cancer".

[13] On February of the same year, the Herald again reported that the Australian Federal Police had found nothing that "would constitute a criminal offence" related to the employment of his wife and closed the investigation.