He subsequently returned to Sydney, where he studied politics and economics at the University of New South Wales and then an MBA with the Australian Graduate School of Management majoring in finance and corporate strategy.
He was a university tutor from 1978 to 1981, the Education and Research Officer for the New South Wales Branch of the Labor Party from 1981 to 1984, a stockbroker from 1984 to 1989 and Group Economist for Legal & General Life Ltd from 1989 to 1994.
[2] He was preselected with the strong support of the Labor Right faction over the wishes of Keating, who advocated a cross-factional deal to install George Campbell in the vacancy.
[6] In September 1995, he was one of nine international parliamentarians to travel to Moruroa atoll to protest French nuclear testing in the Pacific; Wheelwright declared that it was time for "direct personal action" on the issue, and stated that he was willing to break the law, enter the exclusion zone and stand on the test platform if necessary.
[2] After his political defeat, Wheelwright variously formed his own consulting firm, 'Politic', worked as economic adviser to deputy opposition leader and shadow treasury spokesperson Gareth Evans, Asia Pacific Public Affairs Director for Lucent Technologies in Hong Kong and then as a Singapore-based Global Senior Vice-president for Deutsche Post DHL.