Victorian Court Upholds 20-Year Ban on Prison Vegemite
A Supreme Court judge ruled that a life-sentenced inmate's cultural rights are limited by his imprisonment, rejecting his claim that the ban violated health standards.
By Dylan Carter ·
Andre McKechnie has been serving time in Victorian prisons since the 1990s. His legal challenge to the state's food policies ended in defeat on Monday.
The 54-year-old inmate lost his appeal against the Victoria Department of Justice and Corrections. He argued that the ban on Vegemite, which has been in place since 2006, prevented him from maintaining his health and well-being. A Supreme Court judge dismissed the case, stating that the prisoner's cultural rights are primarily limited by the fact that he has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
McKechnie was originally sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a property developer in Queensland. He served part of his sentence in Queensland before being transferred to Victoria. The ban also applies to jails in South Australia and Tasmania. In Queensland, the spread is similarly prohibited.
Corrections Victoria provided evidence that the strong smell of the yeast spread interferes with sniffer dogs used to detect drugs. The agency argued that the paste can be used to conceal contraband substances or to brew alcohol in custody. The court accepted these operational reasons for the restriction.
Vegemite was invented in Melbourne in 1923 as an alternative to Marmite. It has remained a polarizing food item in Australia for over a century. In April, the product became the subject of an international dispute when an Australian cafe owner in Canada was told to remove the jars from his shelves due to local health regulations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intervened in that dispute, describing Marmite as Vegemite's rubbish rival. The cafe owner was eventually allowed to continue selling the spread. McKechnie's ruling confirms that the Victorian ban will remain in effect for all future inmates as well.
Source: BBC News
