Bob Kucera

Robert Charles (Bob) Kucera (born 6 November 1944 in Cardiff, Wales) is an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2008, representing the district of Yokine, initially for the Australian Labor Party and from June 2008 as an independent.^[1]

Joining the police force of Western Australia in 1966, Kucera served for 34 years, achieving the rank of assistant commissioner before resigning to enter politics in 2001^[2] after being recruited by then Premier Geoff Gallop.^[3]

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 and his wife both held shares in Alinta Gas, an energy supply company, when cabinet made a $90 million decision that would benefit the company.^[4][5]

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.^[6] However, Kucera later announced his retirement from politics, expressing a desire to spend more time with his family.^[7]

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