Kimberley community demands stronger FASD support seven years after coronial inquest

Aboriginal leaders in Western Australia's far north are calling for greater government support for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), as local schoolchildren march to raise awareness.

The calls for FASD treatment support come seven years after a coronial inquest into the deaths of 13 children.

Warning: This story contains references to suicide and self-harm.

FASD is a permanent neurodevelopmental condition that occurs when a fetus is exposed to alcohol in the womb, often leaving children struggling with learning, impulsivity and understanding consequences.

A 2019 coronial inquest into the deaths of 13 children and young people over a four-year period in the Kimberley examined factors that made them vulnerable to suicide, including possible neurodevelopmental impairment.

Coroner Ros Fogliani found circumstantial evidence FASD played a role in some of the deaths and recommended increased government funding for FASD prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

However, seven years on, Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre (MWRC) chief executive and Gooniyandi, Kija woman Emily Carter said many of the coronial recommendations remained unfulfilled.