Watts lives in Footscray with his wife and two children. Since about 2006, Watts has been the author of a blog entitled "Blogging the Bookshelf", in which he discusses the books that he has been reading.
Watts was preselected in 2013, following the resignation of Nicola Roxon in the Federal seat of Gellibrand in Melbourne's west. He won the seat with a 16.53% majority at the 2013 Federal election, and was re-elected in 2016. Since his election he has served as the Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Health in the House of Representatives and is currently the Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Communications and Arts.
In 2015, Watts and Labor MP Clare O'Neil, published Two Futures: Australia at a critical moment which sought to address long-term policy challenges facing Australia.
Family violence
Following the murder of Fiona Warzywoda in the electorate in 2014, Watts campaigned for preventing and removing family violence across Melbourne's West and Australia. In 2014, Watts launched the bipartisan 'Parliamentarians against Family Violence' with Coalition MP's Andrew Broad and Ken Wyatt. Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty addressed a meeting of the group in 2015, expressing that 'Cross-party commitment is important to the issue of family and domestic violence'. In response, former Labor Leader, Mark Latham used a column in the Australian Financial Review to label Watts as "symptomatic of the decline in Labor's thinking" and argue that "Watts has fallen for the feminist line on domestic violence". In 2015, Watts and fellow Labor MP Terri Butler introduced a private members bill to criminalise the non-consensual sharing of private sexual material. In an opinion piece published by the Chifley Research Centre, Watts called for action in response to the issue of family violence. He has written on the importance of engaging with the states, territories and relevant stakeholders, as well as the use of effective communication in achieving successful policy outcomes to the issue.
Australian aid
Watts has been an outspoken advocate of Australian Aid in the Parliament and has travelled to Cambodia and Papua New Guinea to visit Australian funded development programs in those countries.
Asia
Watts has been an advocate greater Australian engagement in Asia, speaking frequently about Asian-Australian diaspora communities. Watts has been an Australian delegate to a number of bilateral events such as the Australian Chinese Youth Dialogue, Australian Indian Youth Dialogue and CAUSINDY. Watts was also a program participant for the Asialink Leaders Course in 2017.
Watts has also written on the importance of multiculturalism in modern Australian society, and in doing so has called for a new Australian flag which does not bear the Union Jack. He described the importance of national symbols and the importance in ensuring they are reflective of the 'modern, multicultural, Southeast Asian nation we have become'.
Indonesia
Watts has written on the economic growth of Indonesia in recent years, highlighting that 'there is no other nation in Asia more important to our future than Indonesia'. Subsequently, he has called for an increase to the cap on working holiday visas for Indonesians and argued that it is time Australians consider Indonesia as 'critical' to both the economic prosperity and security of the country.
Writing
In September 2019 his book, The Golden Country: Australia's Changing Identity, was released by Text Publishing.
