Malarndirri McCarthy to visit WA detention centre after teen dies in custody

A key minister will visit the detention facility where a 17-year-old Aboriginal boy took his own life last week.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy will visit the detention facility where a 17-year-old Aboriginal boy took his own life last week.

The boy was in custody at Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre for just two days before staff found him unresponsive in his cell.

His is the second death in custody in 10 months at a Western Australia juvenile facility.

Stressing the political sensitivities of federal intervention in a state governance matter, Anthony Albanese said on Monday the death was “a terrible tragedy” and he had personally spoken to West Australian Premier Roger Cook.

The teenager was in custody at Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre for just two days before staff found him unresponsive in his cell.

“There needs to be, of course, a proper investigation of it,” the Prime Minister told ABC radio in Perth.

“My Minister for Indigenous Affairs Malarndirri McCarthy is here, along with all the other ministers.

“So she’ll be visiting the facility today to see first hand, but the Commonwealth isn’t about to take over the juvenile justice system of the states and territories.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the death ‘a terrible tragedy’. Picture NewsWire / David Clark

Mr Albanese said Senator McCarthy requested to visit the detention centre “before the incident” last week.

“Malarndirri McCarthy, as the new minister, is getting out and about and looking at all of these issues,” he said.

Mr Albanese copped flack for giving a dismissive response when asked about the teen’s death over the weekend.

He said on Saturday that he was “not conscious of every state issue” and then went on to attack Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Mr Albanese later told NewsWire that the boy’s death was a “horrible incident” and his thoughts were with the young teen’s family.

“The death of a child in these circumstances is tragic and deeply sad,” he said.

“There is an investigation under way and that is appropriate.

“It is important the state authorities get to the bottom of what went wrong.”

Western Australia’s corrective services commissioner told reporters on Friday that staff checked on the teenager 10 times throughout the evening and there was nothing amiss.

Indigenous Australians are the most incarcerated people on Earth and have a much higher rate of death in custody than other Australians.