The rest were flicked on to Mr Morrison's office or to the staff of his parliamentary secretary, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.

Opposition early childhood spokeswoman Kate Ellis said the fact Mr Morrison took 99 per cent of media enquiries out of the hands of his public servants showed he was "obsessed with control and secrecy – no matter the portfolio".

"Unfortunately for Australian families, gagging his department is having a real impact on their understanding of the childcare changes, as they are being stopped from releasing even basic detail," Ms Ellis said.

"Scott Morrison can't hide beyond a veil of operational reasons when it comes to families, and he shouldn't be gagging his department from answering basic questions about the social services portfolio."

Earlier this week Ms Ellis said there was a lack of detail coming out of the department and Mr Morrison's office following News Corp reports that hundreds of thousands of families would be hit by a looming cut to the multiple childcare benefit in 2017.