Elijah protesters march to WA parliament

Families have marched through Perth to parliament house to protest the sentence handed down to the man who struck and killed 14-year-old Aboriginal boy Elijah Doughty.

The teenager was driving a stolen motorcycle at Gribble Creek, near Kalgoorlie, in August last year when the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, hit him with his ute.

The 56-year-old father-of-six stood trial recently charged with manslaughter, but was convicted of the lesser offence of dangerous driving causing death, and was sentenced to three years in jail.

Hundreds of protesters on Tuesday shouted: "They call it justice, we call it murder!"

Many also held signs that read: "Three years dangerous driving. You call that justice?"

Others held signs that read "Justice", "Aboriginal lives matter" and "Murder is not a traffic offence."

The group, which included very young children, also left white paint handprints on the windows of parliament house.

There was a strong police presence, including officers on horses, but the group remained peaceful.

Protests have been held across Australia since the sentence was handed down and in the historic gold mining town of Kalgoorlie there have also been vigils for Elijah.

When the Victorian-born man was initially charged, people violently rioted in the street, throwing rocks and bottles at the local courthouse, police cars and officers, which highlighted racial tensions in the town.

Many indigenous locals at the time unsuccessfully demanded the man be charged with murder.

Last week, the WA Director of Public Prosecutions announced there would not be an appeal against the verdict or sentence.