Denis Hart and his executive officer, Francis Moore - details about church assets.

The church’s response has never been made public, but Fairfax Media can reveal that, even though the committee later wrote to Hart and Moore reminding them of their obligations to the Parliament, the information was never provided.

The value of the church’s assets is a question that remains unanswered. It is a question I would still like answered. Liberal MP and committee chair Georgie Crozier

Members of the committee from across the political spectrum have told Fairfax Media how they were taken aback by the church’s imperious response to the inquiry. "At times there was a sense of real frustration," says Liberal MP Crozier, who chaired the parliamentary committee.

Liberal MP Georgie Crozier. Credit:Jason South

The royal commission also askedthe Melbourne archdiocese about its money. But as Fairfax Media reveals today, the information supplied was scant at best.

The Melbourne church tabled a financial report for its Roman Catholic Trusts Corporation for 2012-2013. It valued the church’s properties at just $109.2 million.

However, the report’s fine print shows the properties were valued at "historical cost" - the amount paid when the properties were first acquired, often in the 1800s or early 1900s. Many were land grants from state governments. The figure is a gross underestimate of the real, current value of the assets. Who would insure their house for its historical cost after all?

The church doesn't. The Melbourne and Sydney archdioceses have confirmed they insure their properties at "replacement cost".

In fact, as Fairfax Media has discovered in its investigation