In 2018, Dee met a mother in South Australia whose child had been unlawfully removed — an encounter that set her on a path from which there was no turning back. Over the past seven to eight years, she has advocated on behalf of families, assisted in preparing court submissions in every jurisdiction, and acted as litigation guardian for two fugitive teenagers. In this case she appeared before the Supreme Court in a bid to secure their liberty - which was ultimately successful. Dee is mentoring the older sister to put her story into a screenplay.
What happens when the child protectors become the enemy of the State?
Screenplay by Dee McLachlan
Drawing on true documented accounts, court transcripts and seven years of firsthand investigation, Hostage of the State explores what happens when the systems created to protect children destroy families instead. The film exposes a hidden bureaucratic machine operating with immense power and almost no accountability.
The three stories at the centre of the film are profoundly personal. Dee became directly involved in attempts to help and rescue some of the real children whose experiences inspired the narrative — drawing her into a hidden world few Australians ever see until it is too late. Raw, confronting and emotionally devastating, Hostage of the State is not simply about child protection — it is about power. It's when love, instinct, resistance and even grief becomes reinterpreted as evidence against those fighting to protect their children.
Like The Jammed, the film aims to confront audiences with realities many would prefer not to believe exist. It asks a terrifying question:
What happens when the people trying to save a child become the enemy of the State itself?
Password protect page to Flyer Proposal & Screenplay
We are seeking investors who believe cinema can do more than entertain — that film can challenge institutions, ignite public debate, and help drive a much-needed cultural change.
Hostage of the State is not simply a commercial feature film; it is a powerful and confronting story drawn from real accounts. Like The Jammed — a film that helped ignite national conversation and contributed to legislative change surrounding sex trafficking — this project aims to provoke both national and international debate around the protection of families and children.
We are looking for partners who genuinely understand the power of film to shift public consciousness, influence discourse, and leave a lasting social impact on Australia far beyond the screen.
by dee mClachlan
The Child Protection Racket
A 'Wheel of Misfortune'
A book documenting the unwarranted, unlawful, and often forced removal of children — for profit — by alleged child protection agencies, sanctioned by secretive “star chamber” style closed courts across Australia.
I believe the system is now beyond redemption — not because it has failed, but because it was designed to do exactly what it does.
How do you reform a three-century-long culture of stealing children? The toxic ideology of “removal” is now so deeply embedded within public servants, executives, ministers, and commissioners that it resembles a modern-day Court of Oyer and Terminer — the tribunal of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
