At the
2001 state election, Kucera was recruited by the
Labor Party's leader,
Geoff Gallop, to stand for the party in the
seat of Yokine. He defeated the sitting
Liberal member,
Kim Hames, who had been a minister in the government of
Richard Court. Immediately after being election, Kucera was made
Minister for Health in
Gallop's new ministry. He served in the position until a reshuffle in June 2003, after which he was instead made
Minister for Tourism,
Minister for Small Business,
Minister for Sport and Recreation, and
Minister for Peel and the South-West. After the
2005 state election, another reshuffle occurred, with Kucera's titles becoming
Minister for Disability Services, Minister for Sport and Recreation,
Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, and
Minister for Seniors. In October 2005, Kucera resigned from the ministry after claims of a conflict of interest. He and his wife both held shares in
Alinta, an energy supply company, when cabinet made a $90 million decision that would benefit the company. Prior to the
2008 state election, Kucera's seat, Yokine, was abolished in an electoral redistribution, and was largely split between the new districts of
Mount Lawley and
Nollamara. He contested Labor
preselection for the seat of Mount Lawley, but lost to journalist and lobbyist Karen Brown, a supporter of
Alan Carpenter (who had replaced Geoff Gallop as premier in January 2006). As a result, he resigned from the Labor Party to sit as an
independent. He considered running as an independent at the election, but later announced his retirement from politics, expressing a desire to spend more time with his family. Kucera eventually rejoined the Labor Party, and in February 2012 was invited by the party's new leader,
Mark McGowan, to again contest preselection in Mount Lawley. He was successful, but at the
2013 state election was easily defeated by the sitting Liberal member,
Michael Sutherland. ==See also==