Brideson was born in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton, and studied at Bentleigh and McKinnon High Schools.
In a rare move for a unionist, Brideson acted as an advisor to several shadow ministers in the conservative Liberal Party state opposition of the time.
In the leadup to the 1992 state election, Brideson succeeded in obtaining Liberal preselection for the seat of Waverley Province which was held by the Labor Party.
He subsequently lost the first two positions to younger MLC Richard Dalla-Riva in January 2004, though he remained Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet without portfolio for the remainder of his career.
Brideson kept a particularly low profile after his demotion, and rumours of his impending retirement began circulating in late 2004.