 Elected to the Parliament of South Australia at the 1868 election as the Member for Onkaparinga, he gained the sobriquet "Honest Tom" for his forthright and straightforward manner, although these same qualities would earn him the occasional disapproval of fellow politicians and the electorate, and caused his defeat at the 1871 election.Playford returned to Parliament at the 1875 election as member for East Torrens and held the position of Reforming Commissioner for Crown Lands and Immigration before losing his seat yet again at the 1887 election.A month later however, he won the seat of Newcastle.