An Australian prisoner serving a life sentence has lost a legal challenge to eat Vegemite, even after a judge agreed that banning the food limited his cultural rights. Andre McKechnie, 55, argued at the Supreme Court of Victoria that being denied the popular yeast spread breached his right under the state's human rights charter to enjoy his culture as an Australian.
Justice Claire Harris accepted that withholding the salty spread affected McKechnie's cultural rights. However, she ruled that the 20-year ban across Victoria's 12 prisons was justified to keep illicit drugs and alcohol out of correctional facilities. Prison officials testified that Vegemite could interfere with drug sniffer dogs and could be used to help ferment homemade alcohol.
McKechnie, who represented himself by video link from maximum-security Barwon Prison, argued that neighboring New South Wales allows Vegemite in its prisons, showing that less strict options were available. He also told the court that being denied the spread made him feel sad and disconnected from his culture and community. Justice Harris noted that his imprisonment, rather than the absence of Vegemite, was the primary cause of that separation.
Vegemite, a dark, salty paste made from beer brewing byproducts, is an iconic part of Australian culture and is found in more than 80 percent of homes across the country. Despite its national status, the court decided that prison safety and drug control outweighed the inmate's cultural claim.