The use of a 'figure four' or 'folding up' restraint technique in WA correctional facilities will be reviewed and may be banned, with the state government also planning a meeting with key stakeholders over Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
It comes as calls for an inquiry into WA's juvenile justice system reach boiling point.
A Four Corners report this week showed a boy at Banksia Hill being restrained by a number of youth custodial officers using the technique, which has been banned in other states such as Queensland.
"Obviously, I think we need to review that technique," WA Premier Mark McGowan told ABC Radio Perth.
"And we're going to go to the Department [of Justice] and say that technique, if it's not in use around the country — which apparently it's not in use in Queensland at least — other techniques need to be investigated to deal with these sorts of situations.
"But they're not easy situations for the staff."
Premier, minister 'unaware' of restraint
Mr McGowan said the method may not be banned immediately because time may be needed for training in other restraint techniques.
He said both he and Corrective Services Minister Bill Johnston had been previously unaware of the use of that restraint technique, and Mr Johnston had his support.
"The thing about Bill is he has an enormous work ethic, he is very capable and he is tough, and that's what you need," he said.
"You don't want to have someone who is weak, you don't want to have someone who can't get across much information and do many things at once."
But the Premier said he would not speculate on whether Mr Johnston would retain the corrective services portfolio in any cabinet reshuffle.
Meeting but no royal commission
The Four Corners investigation came on the same day WA Children's Court president Hylton Quail condemned the treatment of juvenile detainees at the facility, in the southern Perth suburb of Canning Vale.
Mr Quail is among an expanding list of leaders and advocates criticising the government's handling of young offenders, with some, including former Children's Court president Denis Reynolds, calling for Banksia Hill to be closed altogether.
Mr Reynolds described the current situation as "child abuse" and also called for a royal commission into the state's juvenile justice system.
Mr McGowan said he and Mr Johnston would convene a meeting with WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch and some of the most prominent critics of Banksia Hill.
Among those are Inspector of Custodial Services Eamon Ryan, Commissioner for Children and Young People Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, former Australian of the Year Fiona Stanley and representatives from the Telethon Kids Institute.
But the Premier said there would not be a royal commission into juvenile justice in WA.
"There's been numerous inquiries, another talkfest, don't the public get sick of that? No, we won't be doing that," he said.
"But we will be listening to people and seeing if they have practical and achievable suggestions for what might work.
"I don't know if it will be this week or next week, but that's what we will do to see if we can improve the situation."
McGowan defends use of Banksia Hill
The Premier also said there had been difficulty recruiting youth custodial officers, with 384 assaults on staff reported in the last year.
He noted that of about 1,200 children in the juvenile justice system, only 95 were in detention — with 10 of those in Unit 18 at Casuarina adult prison — while the remainder were being dealt with in the community.
He said detention was used as a last resort.
"If you're a detainee at Banksia Hill you will often have committed offences like armed robbery, or aggravated home burglary, rape, or stolen a car and driven it at a police car, those sorts of things," he said.
"That's why they're there. I just want people to understand, when you get to Banskia Hill if you are a juvenile, it's normally a progression because every other measure has not worked."
Mr McGowan also said work on "hardening" cells at Banksia Hill so Unit 18 could be closed was due to be completed by mid-2023.
"Banksia Hill itself, right now, is working very effectively. That's because around 10 detainees were moved out who are the most disruptive and violent," he said.
"The 85 detainees who are left are engaging in music programs, educational programs, recreational programs, football, mental health care, welfare care."
The premier also noted work was progressing on plans for a $15 million on-country rehabilitative corrections facility in the Kimberley.
'National shame': Children's Commissioner
National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds said the Four Corners report on Banksia Hill left her shaken, but claimed the mistreatment of young offenders extended beyond WA.
"This should not just be left to be a states issue. We need a national approach, just as we've taken for example with domestic violence. We actually need to tackle this at a national level," she said.
Ms Hollonds described Australia's youth detention system as an "absolute national shame".
"The country has a lot of social issues that need to be addressed but children's issues get shelved," she said.
"There are no votes in it, is what people tell me, and we've got to actually stand up and be accountable for caring for our children.
"I'm hoping now that we may be able to actually have that conversation about what do we do nationally to transform youth justice in this country."
WA Opposition leader Mia Davies has joined calls for an immediate independent review into the state's youth justice system.
She labelled the Four Corners investigation "disturbing."
"It is disappointing to see the McGowan Labor government is only now taking action, after five years of neglecting the children at this detention centre," she said.
Focus on prevention, Carnavon MP says
Fellow Nationals MP Merome Beard was elected in the North-West Central by-election earlier this year on the back of strong local concerns about youth crime.
The Carnarvon-based politician said young people often roamed the town's streets late at night, and called for more preventative measures to stop patterns of offending and ensure the children were not sent to detention.
"If we keep doing what we're doing, nothing is going to change," she said.
"We need review, we need change and we need reform. Our priority should be these kids, because these kids at the moment have very little to look forward to."
Smaller and localised detention centres have been proposed as an alternative to the massive, centralised Banksia Hill centre.
Ms Beard said she supported the idea, something she said had been backed by the community and experts for years.
She said it would require an overhaul of the state's youth justice system, and joined calls for a parliamentary inquiry of Banksia Hill.
"This is not going to be easy, there's no silver bullet. It's going to be a case of looking with a fresh lens and a fresh set of eyes," she said.
