Career
Appointed as Health minister in 2001, Kucera held the position until 2003 before losing the portfolio to Jim McGinty in a cabinet reshuffle. Kucera resigned as the minister of Sports and Seniors in October 2005 after claims of a conflict in interest. Kucera"s district of Yokine was abolished in an electoral redistribution for the 2008 state election, largely split between the new districts of Mount Lawley and Nollamara.
Kucera lost Labor preselection for the seat of Mount Lawley to Premier Alan Carpenter"s recruit, former journalist and lobbyist Karen Brown.
As a result, Kucera quit the Labor Party in 2008 to sit as an independent in parliament. He seemed set to contest either Mount Lawley or Nollamara as an independent at the election.
However, Kucera later announced his retirement from politics, expressing a desire to spend more time with his family.