 Swinburne was elected a member of the Hawthorn municipal council in 1898 and in 1902 became mayor.Also in 1902, Swinburne became member for the Electoral district of Hawthorn in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, and sat as a supporter of W. H. Irvine.There had been a severe drought in Australia and the policy speech foreshadowed ""important works for the conservation and distribution of water in the arid areas"".