[2] In parliament, Bourchier served as deputy chair of the House Standing Committee on Environment and Conservation.

[6] In 1981, he intervened in the preselection ballot for the Tasmanian seat of Wilmot to oppose incumbent Liberal MP and Fraser critic Max Burr, which resulted in "a lengthy backbench blow-up".

He was opposed by the Tasmanian Wilderness Society over the Franklin Dam controversy, and also faced opposition due to high local unemployment and concerns over the government's intended closure of the Bendigo Ordnance Factory.

[8] In 1986, Bourchier unsuccessfully sought Liberal preselection for the casual vacancy caused by the death of Victorian senator Alan Missen.

[9] He moved to the Gold Coast in the late 1980s where he remained active in the Queensland Liberal Party.