The Australian government has launched spirited efforts to win the release of an Aussie minor detained by Indonesian authorities for alleged possession of marijuana while on a holiday in Bali.

In a statement released over the weekend, Australian ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty made clear that convincing Jakarta to let go of the 14-year-old boy remains his foremost priority on his visit to the island resort where the teenager was arrested Tuesday last week.

Indonesian police officials have reported that the boy was picked up by authorities as he was returning to his hotel room while carrying some 6.9 grams of marijuana, which the young Aussie boy claimed he bought from a man who begged for money to buy food.

The boy, according to reports by police officials, paid $29 for the illegal merchandise in hopes of also helping the unidentified seller.

Moriarty said on Saturday that the Australian national is currently under the custody of Bali police officials as he acknowledged that the young boy and his family are under "a great deal of stress."

"My focus in the days ahead is to provide maximum support to the boy and his family so he can return to Australia as quickly as possible," the Australian envoy as reported by Agence France Presse as saying during his visit to Bali.

The Aussie' prospect is not disheartening at all, according to Muhammad Rifan, the teenager's Indonesian lawyer, who told AFP that punishment for child offenders in the country is usually reduced by up to 50 percent.

In the boy's case, Rifan added that his client, when found guilty, will most likely be given a maximum of six-year jail term from the normal 12 years mandated by Indonesian laws on drug possession charges.

However, Moriarty remains upbeat that the Indonesian government will closely consider the minor age of the young Australian, including the circumstances of his offense, and eventually set him free.

The existence of Australia's formal plea for the boy's freedom has been confirmed to AFP by Bali police spokesman Hariadi, who informed the news agency that Moriarty "also appreciated police investigations so far and hoped that the legal process will consider the boy's young age."

"Investigations are still ongoing ... and Indonesia will adhere to laws applicable, including those related to children," AFP quoted Hariadi as saying.