At the 2013 election Matthew was elected to the Senate. He took up his position as a Senator in the Nationals party room in July 2014 as a Senator based in Rockhampton, the first Senator to be based in Rockhampton for more than 20 years. Matthew served as the Minister for Northern Australia from February 2016, and was elevated to Cabinet later that year as the Minister for Resources – the first Central Queensland based Cabinet Minister since the 1970’s. Matthew served in that role until 2020. Matthew is a former Lions Youth of the Year and worked as a Leader with the Christian Brothers on Edmund Rice Camps, where he met his wife. They now live in Yeppoon near Rockhampton, with their four sons and daughter.