 In 1931 d'Alton was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as a Labor member for Darwin; he was a minister from 1934 to 1943, and had been Deputy Premier.In 1943 Herbert Evatt saw a need for a High Commissioner in Wellington to coordinate views (a new post) and chose the "colourful figure" d'Alton, who however chose to retain his seat and salary in the Tasmanian Parliament.Three months after arriving he got into a punch-up with the landlord of the Post Office Hotel, Wellington.