He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1988 to 2002, representing Central Highlands Province.
He was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Public Transport when the Liberal Party won office under Jeff Kennett in 1992.
Craige was promoted to Minister for Roads and Ports in 1996, serving until the defeat of the Liberal government at the 1999 election.
He unsuccessfully nominated for the position of Liberal deputy leader in the Legislative Council following the 1999 election loss, losing to Bill Forwood.
[1] After politics, Craige was a founder of fishing lobby group VRFish, worked for the Bus Association of Victoria, and served on the board of the Port of Hastings Development Authority.