It was named in honour of Charles Bright, at various times South Australian Supreme Court Judge, Flinders University Chancellor, Health Commission chairman, and Electoral Boundaries Commission chairman.

Liberal shadow minister Angus Redford left the South Australian Legislative Council to contest the seat but was defeated by Labor's Chloë Fox from a 14.4 percent swing, the largest in the state, amidst a statewide landslide averaging a 7.7 percent swing.

A shift of a few kilometres along O'Halloran Hill significantly altered the seat's political landscape.

As evidence of this, the redistribution ahead of the 2010 election pared Fox's margin from safe 9.2 percent–just on the edge of being safe–to 6.6 percent.

Speirs decided to contest Black, which had absorbed much of Bright's southern portion, at the 2018 state election.