Overview
- Andre McKechnie, a life-sentenced prisoner at Port Phillip Prison, has filed a suit in the Supreme Court of Victoria against the Department of Justice and Community Safety and Corrections Victoria.
- He argues that access to Vegemite is part of ‘enjoying his culture as an Australian’ under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act.
- The filing also alleges a breach of the Corrections Act’s requirement to provide adequate food for well-being and asks the court to order the Vegemite ban decision be remade.
- Vegemite has been prohibited in Victorian prisons since 2006, with officials citing interference with narcotics detection dogs and the yeast’s potential for illicit alcohol production.
- Court agencies declined to comment on a matter before the courts, a victims’ advocate criticized the lawsuit as frivolous, and the case is scheduled for trial next year.