A tense parliamentary hearing erupted into open frustration on Friday after Liberal MP Roma Britnell stormed out, accusing senior Victorian bureaucrats of repeatedly refusing to supply critical data about the wellbeing of children in state care.
Britnell, the newly appointed deputy chair of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC), demanded figures on the number of children in state care who had become pregnant, contracted sexually transmitted infections, or been temporarily housed in hotels and caravan parks. She also sought data on the number of safety devices issued to at-risk children.
However, senior officials from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, including departmental secretary Peta McCammon, repeatedly stated they did not have access to the information Britnell was requesting.
The only statistic McCammon could provide was that 155 children were classified as “dual clients” of both child protection and youth justice as of May 31 this year.
McCammon acknowledged that pregnancies among children in state care do occur but insisted she did not have the relevant numbers available, despite Victoria having around 9000 children in state care at any time.
The heated exchange comes in the wake of a major Herald Sun investigation exposing disturbing cases of violence, sexual exploitation and drug addiction among children under the supervision of the Allan government. The lack of transparency on Friday added further pressure on the department, which has faced mounting criticism for failing to protect vulnerable young people.
Britnell interrupted the committee chair, Sarah Connelly, declaring she had “had enough” of “interference, non-answers and time-wasting” from both government MPs and departmental staff.
“You’re telling me that machete bins are working, that there are no knives on the street, that the health system is fine and that children in care are all OK,” Britnell said, visibly furious. “I’m genuinely shocked at the information that hasn’t been provided. We cannot get financial outcomes or basic data.”
Labor MP Michael Galea dismissed the walkout as a “prepared stunt”, while fellow Labor MP Mathew Hilakari accused Britnell of wasting her own time by asking “irrelevant” questions. Britnell fired back, saying, “The people of Victoria want answers,” before walking out of the hearing room.
Departmental leaders insisted that all unanswered questions would be addressed “on notice”.
The hearing also revealed several alarming gaps in the department’s record-keeping. Officials confirmed they are not tracking the average time family violence victims spend in temporary accommodation, including hotel rooms. However, they disclosed that up to 123 households fleeing family violence are being placed in crisis accommodation on any given night.
Housing officials were further grilled over figures showing that out of 48,000 Victorians seeking accommodation, only 28,000 had secured housing.
Mark Stracey, Executive Director for Homelessness and Housing Support, conceded the situation was “not good enough” and said the department was working to increase public housing placements and alternative options.
Britnell has called for a follow-up hearing in December to obtain the data she says is essential to understanding the state’s child protection failures and the true condition of Victoria’s public finances.
