Lucas was a solicitor prior to entering Parliament, and has a bachelor's degrees in Economics and in Law and a Master of Business Administration.

Lucas was elected to the Queensland Parliament in October 1996 at a by-election for the seat of Lytton, vacated by former Deputy Premier Tom Burns.

[3] An online petition was started by the Queensland Public Sector Union as part of a campaign to force Lucas to resign after the Auditor-General released a report which heavily criticised the implementation of the new payroll system.

He has played an important role in environmental issues, in particular fighting for a buffer zone between residential areas of Wynnum North and the Port of Brisbane.

[6] On 20 January 2010, upon release from the Mater Private Hospital in Brisbane, Lucas admitted to having suffered an epileptic seizure but that he had returned to work and was "fighting fit", providing an example to the community that people with chronic medical conditions can participate fully in public life.