More than one thousand people gathered outside WA Parliament on Tuesday to protest the ongoing inaction from authorities over missing young Indigenous people in the state's north.

The demonstrators, who braved the searing midday heat, also drew attention to young First Nations men who have disappeared in other states.

Inside parliament on the same day, Opposition MP Peter Collier tabled a petition on behalf of the families calling for a task force and urgent action on missing people.

The missing young people include Wesley Lockyer, Brenton Shar, Wylie Oscar, Clinton Lockyer, Zane Stevens, Jeremiah "Jayo" Rivers, James Taylor, Petronella Albert, and Veronica Lockyer and her baby daughter Adell Partridge.

Barry Taylor spoke of his missing nephew, Wesley Lockyer, who has not been seen since October 2022.

"If you look at the dates, we have a block of about three years where we have had these kids go missing," he said.

"We have 259 people missing in this state alone, white and Black… It is an indictment on the government of Western Australia that it has allowed this to happen. We have cold case matters going back to 1958 that have not been solved.

"So, the government in their wisdom decided in May 2023 to offer a reward for many of these cold cases. We approached all parliamentarians, our local member… met with Roger Cook and Paul Papalia," Mr Taylor said, adding that Mr Papalia (the WA Minister for Police) took his orders from Police Commissioner Col Blanch.

"We have had a lot of politicians that have rode on the back of Blackfella's votes, particularly in the north west and the Murchison, but when you approach the Labor Party their hands are tied because some bureaucrat in the Missing Persons Unit doesn't require a reward for our kids.

"And yet, and this is not to disrespect the non-Indigenous population, when a young (white) girl goes missing in Carnarvon, in six days there's a one million dollar reward. As soon as we approach any politician about our Black kids; nothing; silence."

Noongar activist Megan Krakouer told the gathering families "are trying to find their loved ones and are not being listened to".

"This is an issue for all of our people," she said.

"Governments need to step up and do the right thing. Some dear souls have been missing for two, three, five years and there is nothing offered in terms of a reward."

Ms Krakouer said the approach to these missing people cases were "wrong and discriminatory".

"Men are disappearing and their cases are not receiving the attention and urgency they deserve, many of their cases remain unsolved.

"It is a crisis that has been going unaddressed for too long."

Ms Krakouer said families were dealing with "slow and inadequate" responses from police and other agencies.

"What we are asking for is simple, awareness and action for our brothers and sisters missing right across the country.

"We need greater public awareness of the rising number of missing men in WA. They are not just numbers; they are people with families and lives.

"We need a government to step up, that means funding into investigations, more resources, better coordination between agencies."

Ms Krakouer called for the establishment of a special task force to review cold cases as well as current cases and "make sure no one is left behind".

She also urged anyone who knows anything about missing people to "have some guts, have some strength and have some honour" and come forward to help suffering families.

Henry Lockyer, a relative of one of the missing men, was joined on the steps of parliament by the father of Brenton Shar, who spoke briefly before being overcome with emotion.

Nyaparu Rose from the Pilbara called on the MPs within Parliament House: "Don't forget us. Don't neglect us... Listen to what we have to say. Bring our boys home for crying out loud."

Mr Taylor said his sister had been desperately trying to find Wesley, digging at sites based on claims made by "psychics and mediums".

"And other families, sitting on the veranda, watching them crying every week… It is time now for this government, that we support in the north west in particular, to act. We had to get a Liberal, an Opposition MP, Peter Collier, to assist us (by tabling a petition from the families). It's time now for action.

"People think it could never happen to us, but is has happened. And a reminder for the Western Australian police – the perpetrators are still out there."

A number of other family members spoke out. Many said foul play was behind the young people going missing, some suggested that people bringing drugs into the regions were involved in the disappearances.

Brad Pettitt, the lone Greens MP in WA parliament, spoke at the rally and said he would work with Mr Collier on pushing the government to respond to the petition and calls for action.

Dr Pettitt also said the Australian Greens have written to the Australian Federal Police Commissioner and Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, calling for a federal investigation into missing First Nations people in Western Australia.

Minister Papalia told National Indigenous Times that the WA Police Force "devotes significant resources to locating missing persons throughout Western Australia".

"I'd encourage anyone with information regarding the current whereabouts of yet-to-be located individuals to contact Police," he said.

A WA Police Force spokesperson told National Indigenous Times that senior officers met with the families of several missing persons on Tuesday.

"Missing persons, regardless of where they are reported missing, are treated as a priority for WA Police Force. All investigations into missing persons are conducted using the same underpinning processes and procedures, and are resourced based on the needs assessed at the time," the spokesperson said.

"In all cases, regardless of who is allocated the investigation, the same standard of investigation is conducted, and in the case of land searches the same specialist support and resources are made available. Each missing person investigation is managed based on the specific circumstances of each case, and based on the information known to officers at the time.

"Every time a missing person is reported to police, the primary goal is to locate them as quickly and safely as possible. Unfortunately, this is not possible on every occasion, for a wide range of reasons, and in those circumstances where a missing person is not located police officers work hard to find answers for the family involved."

The police spokesperson said not knowing what happened to a loved one is "confronting and challenging" for the families and friends of missing persons, and WA Police "remains committed to finding answers for those families and communities".

"We welcome any information that leads us to finding these missing persons."