He was the National Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council from October 1992 until November 2006, representing North Western Province.
[1] Bishop was born and raised in the Swan Hill region, though he spent some time in Bendigo as a teenager.
[5] In addition to his work at state and national level, Bishop was also involved with farming issues in his own region for many years.
When the party regrouped after the 2002 election, Bishop found himself in line for promotion, and he was subsequently appointed spokesperson for transport, roads, ports and commodities.
[12] Bishop announced his intention to retire at the 2006 state election in April 2005,[13] citing changes to the Legislative Council which would have forced him to contest preselection for an easily winnable seat in a larger electorate against fellow MLCs Bill Baxter and Damian Drum, as well as the desire to give a younger person the opportunity to represent his area.