A convicted murderer serving a life sentence has launched an unprecedented legal challenge against Victoria's prison ban on Vegemite, arguing that denying him the iconic Australian spread violates his fundamental human rights.
The Cultural Rights Argument
Andre McKechnie, 54, has taken his fight for the salty, yeast-based spread to the Supreme Court of Victoria, with court documents revealing his claim that withholding Vegemite breaches his right to 'enjoy his culture as an Australian'. The case, scheduled for trial next year, targets both Victoria's Department of Justice and Community Safety and Corrections Victoria, the agency managing the state's prisons.
McKechnie's legal argument centres on the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act, which guarantees individuals the right to enjoy their cultural background. He seeks a court declaration that prison authorities have denied him this fundamental right, along with breaching the Corrections Act by failing to provide adequate food for his wellbeing.
Security Concerns Behind the Ban
Victorian prisons have prohibited Vegemite since 2006, with corrections authorities citing two primary security concerns. Corrections Victoria states the spread 'interferes with narcotic detection dogs' after inmates were discovered smearing drug packages with Vegemite to mask odours from sniffer dogs.
The contraband list also highlights that Vegemite contains yeast, which has 'potential to be used in the production of alcohol' - another banned substance within prison facilities. This dual security risk has kept the spread out of all twelve Victorian prisons for nearly two decades.
Divided Reactions to the Legal Challenge
The lawsuit has generated strong reactions from various quarters. Victims' advocate and lawyer John Herron, whose daughter Courtney was beaten to death in a Melbourne park in 2019, described the case as 'frivolous and offensive to victims' families'.
'As victims, we don't have any rights. We have limited if any support. It's always about the perpetrator, and this just reinforces that,' Herron stated, adding that the lawsuit 'rubs our faces in the tragedy that we've suffered.'
Meanwhile, government agencies have declined to comment, maintaining their standard position that it's inappropriate to discuss matters before the courts.
The Vegemite ban isn't uniform across Australia's prison systems. While Queensland state also prohibits the spread, New South Wales - Australia's most populous state - allows inmates access to the national icon.
McKechnie currently resides in maximum-security Port Phillip Prison. He was 23 when he stabbed wealthy Gold Coast property developer Otto Kuhne to death in Queensland in 1994. After being sentenced to life for murder, he transferred to the Victorian prison system a decade later.
In a curious twist, McKechnie wrote last year that he had spent eight years on parole in Victoria before voluntarily returning to prison a decade ago, claiming the system 'had done more damage than good'.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between prisoner rights and prison security measures, set against the backdrop of a spread that divides international opinion while remaining deeply embedded in Australian cultural identity.
