Born in Culcairn in New South Wales, he was a barrister and union official before entering the Legislative Assembly.
In 1998, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the Labor member for Ferny Grove, which he represented until 2012.
He was appointed Minister for Mines and Energy in September 2006 by Peter Beattie, and continued in that post after Anna Bligh took over as Premier a year later.
He served in that post until Labor's loss at 2012 election, in which Wilson lost his seat to the LNP.
[1] This article about an Australian Labor Party member of the Parliament of Queensland is a stub.