In 1899, his father established Laucke Mills at Greenock in South Australia's Barossa Valley.

[2] Laucke was educated at Immanuel College and the School of Mines in Adelaide,[3] and after graduating, joined the family business, becoming Director and General Manager of what was now a large milling and stock feed enterprise in 1947.

He was re-elected in 1959 and 1962, and from 1962 to 1965 served as Government Whip and was regarded by colleagues as a potential future leader of the Liberal and Country League.

[3] However Laucke lost his seat to Labor candidate Molly Byrne in the 1965 election[7] which swept the Liberal and Country League from office after 32 years in government—an election campaign in which Barossa, where northern Adelaide urban sprawl was overflowing into an otherwise rural and conservative electorate, was particularly targeted by Labor.

[8] He represented South Australia until 1981, being re-elected in 1967, 1974 and 1975,[1] and was President of the Australian Senate from 17 February 1976 until 30 June 1981.