After his election, Woodley wished to remain a "Minister of the Word" and the church deemed his parish to be the Senate and his parishioners to be the people of Queensland.

Woodley was for a time the Democrats' spokesperson on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Family Services, Regional Development and Agriculture.

[2][3] Woodley resigned from the Senate in August 2001 with three years to run in his second term, not long after the party's members voted for Natasha Stott Despoja to replace Meg Lees as the Parliamentary Leader of the Democrats.

Woodley made several public statements about Democrats' internal politics, consistently voicing support for former Leader Meg Lees.

[2] In 2006, Woodley became a founding Patron of the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE),[6] a position he still holds today.