A Northern Territory barrister has accused the Federal Government of double standards in asking the Indonesian government to release an Australian teenager arrested in Bali on alleged drug offences.

The 14-year-old boy, from Newcastle on the New South Wales central coast, was arrested on Tuesday and accused of buying 6.9 grams of marijuana.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd told a press conference on Friday that "a child in detention is of great concern for all Australians".

But barrister Simon Lee says the Government is being hypocritical as there are nine Indonesian children accused of people smuggling being held in custody in Darwin.

The teenager is expected to remain in detention for up to a month while police continue their inquiries.

His lawyers, however, have confirmed the police have agreed to apply the rules governing the treatment of minors in the Indonesian justice system..

Mr Lee says it is double standards to ask the Indonesian government to release an Australian child.

"It is hypocritical that we have Indonesians here in detention, some charged, some not charged," he said.

Mr Lee says he has written to Mr Rudd, asking him to consider doing a swap deal for the Australian child, who is being held Denpasar police station.

He says the Government would have much more bargaining power if it agreed to release the Indonesian children from detention.

He says no children should be in detention and Australia should reconsider its detention laws.

"It is an opportune moment to make all Australians aware of what we do with the detention of children, whether it is Indonesian nationals or other nationals," he said.

"It is very difficult to have children in detention, particularly when it is their formative years."

Ambassador en route

On Thursday, the boy, who was on holidays with his parents and staying in the resort area of Legian, managed to eat his first meal in two days.

The boy has not yet been charged, but if he goes to trial he faces between two and six years in prison.

The boy's lawyers say that depending on his history of drug use and treatment in Australia, he could be released without going through a criminal trial.

Mr Rudd says he has spoken to the boy's father and pledged the Government would do everything possible to bring him home quickly.

"I've informed him that we, the Government, are throwing our resources at this case as we would with other consular cases involving minors around the world," he said.

"This lad's father expressed his appreciation for that fact."

Mr Rudd says Australia has dispatched its ambassador to Indonesia, Greg Moriarty, who is expected to arrive in Bali on Saturday to help the family.

He says Australian officials are negotiating with Indonesian authorities, but that may take some time.

"This is a time for cool heads and calm conversation to be occurring as we work our way carefully through this case with one objective in mind, which is to try to get this young fellow and his parents home as quickly as we can," he said.

Morale

Lawyer Mohammad Rifan says the boy's parents are working to keep up their son's morale but he says the boy is under a great deal of pressure.

"He [is] angry, he [is] crying, he [has] got the depression," Mr Rifan said.

Mr Rudd told reporters that Indonesian officials had allowed the boy's father to sleep in an office adjacent to his son's cell.

If convicted, the boy could be jailed in Bali's Kerobokan Prison, along with a host of other Australians, including the Bali Nine, the Gold Coast's Schapelle Corby and Sydney man Michael Sacatides.

Two other Australians, Ricky Rawson from Victoria and Melbourne man Angus McCaskill, were released from jail earlier this year after serving time in Kerobokan.