He was the Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from February 2001 to March 2021, representing the electorate of Albany.
[2] Watson was the third West Australian after Herb Elliott and Keith Wheeler to break the four minute mile.
[5] Employed at Australia Post, Watson held various positions, including postal manager, before entering politics.
He was successful at the 2001 Western Australian state election, defeating the sitting member, Kevin Prince, and was re-elected in 2005.
[3] In both the 2008 and 2013 elections, Watson accomplished the feat of winning in the face of swings against the Australian Labor Party in the state as a whole.