 With the electoral redistribution of 1949 splitting the seat of Gippsland, a new seat of McMillan was created, taking a portion from the neighboring Flinders.Brown was encouraged to stand, although living well outside the seat's boundaries.His campaign manager and successor, Alexander Andrew Buchanan reminisced that Brown would initially turn up for political meetings in "old bags (trousers) and gumboots"

In 1949, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Liberal member for the new seat of McMillan.