The case of a 10-year-old boy who took his own life while under state care in Western Australia is tragic, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, died on Friday night in Perth while under the care of the Department of Communities.
Defence Minister Richard Marles.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Marles said it was “impossible not to be moved by” his death and it was a “tragic circumstance”.
“It certainly does speak to the fact that we have enormous challenges going forward in relation to closing the gap,” he told ABC TV on Thursday.
“We really need to be looking at ways in which we can do business in a different way, because the gap is stubbornly persistent.
“News of this kind only adds to redoubling our efforts to make sure we do everything we can to make inroads in respect to the gap.”
WA Premier Roger Cook said the state government would be reviewing what happened in this “very tragic” case.
“In this particular circumstances, it’s always horrible when you see a young child resort to what must be the most desperate act, which is the act of taking ones own life,” he said.
“In relation to children who are taken into care, we always do so with the Aboriginal child placement principles, which is about ensuing that if at all possible, that child goes into the care of another member of the extended family or another member of the community who is culturally aligned, and those principles were followed in this particular case.