He moved to Western Australia in 1893, where he bought and managed a timber and firewood company. He owned farms in Western Australia and South Australia. In 1906, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the member for Fremantle. He was the only representative of the Western Australian Party. Although John Forrest was the leader of the party, Forrest took no part in the Western Australian Party. Hedges joined the newly formed Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1909. He held the seat until he was defeated in 1913. He had was also unsuccessful in elections in 1918, 1919 and 1922.