[5] He was an outspoken opponent of conscription during World War I, and in September 1916 voluntarily enlisted in the military while a sitting member of parliament.

[11][12] In March, he would be found guilty of conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline and having endeavoured to incite members of His Majesty's forces to mutiny and sentenced to 60 days detention.

[20] Yates advocated the adoption of Song of Australia as the Australian national anthem, and once sang it in parliament in an attempt to prove its appropriateness for the setting.

[19] After his federal defeat, he was selected as one of two official Labor candidates for the South Australian Legislative Council seat of Central No.

He was defeated for the second seat by Parliamentary Labor Party incumbent Stanley Whitford amidst some controversy over the system of preferential voting being used at the election.

[23][24][25] He nominated for preselection in Adelaide at the 1934 federal election, but lost to Ken Bardolph; he initially threatened to contest the seat as an independent in protest at alleged irregularities in the vote, but later withdrew.

[20][30] In 1949, at the age of 78, he made a final and unsuccessful bid for office as an ungrouped candidate for the Australian Senate at the 1949 federal election, campaigning on a platform focusing on defence issues.