He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electoral district of Newcastle for the Liberal Party from the 2011 New South Wales state election[1] until 6 August 2014, when he moved to the parliamentary crossbench and sat as an independent, following evidence given to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) that he may have breached electoral funding laws.

[3] On 6 August 2014, the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) revealed evidence that Owen's campaign had received illegal funding from Newcastle developers.

That evidence had been provided by Owen's campaign manager, who revealed the illicit donation scheme and his role in it in return for immunity.

Following this revelation, Owen resigned from the Liberal Party and moved to the parliamentary crossbench as an independent pending the result of the inquiry.

[4] As an "explicit act of atonement" for the actions of Owen and others, the Liberals opted not to contest the ensuing 2014 Newcastle by-election,[5][6] which saw Labor reclaim the seat.