MAJOR RIOT BREAKS OUT AT BANKSIA HILL

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A major riot broke out at WA’s Banksia Hill Youth Detention Centre on Tuesday night, ending more than 14 hours later after armed Corrective Services guards stormed the facility. 

Nearly 50 detained children escaped confinement and took over the facility, setting fire to their cells and climbing onto the roof.

Premier Mark McGowan described the riot as a “form of terrorism” and said Banksia Hill needed to be “toughened up”.

Noongar legal academic Hannah McGlade said many of the young people in Banksia Hill had health problems such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) that were not adequately treated.

“The Derbarl Yerrigan Aboriginal Health Service has called out for support to actually assist the children with FASD in Banksia,” she said.

“They have not been provided with the necessary resourcing or funding to do that, so children’s basic health needs here are being completely neglected by the state.”