Convicted murderer Andre McKechnie sues Victoria prisons over Vegemite ban, claiming it violates his cultural rights as an Australian.
MELBOURNE: An Australian prisoner has launched a novel legal challenge arguing access to Vegemite constitutes a basic human right.
Convicted murderer Andre McKechnie is suing Victoria’s prisons commissioner for the right to consume the iconic Australian spread.
McKechnie claims the Vegemite ban violates his cultural rights as an Australian under the state’s human rights charter.
Vegemite has been prohibited in Victoria’s prisons since 2006 over security concerns.
Prison authorities fear inmates could use the yeast-based spread to brew makeshift alcohol known as “pruno” or “hooch”.
The sticky paste can also mask the smell of contraband from sniffer dogs according to official prison guidelines.
McKechnie’s legal complaint specifically cites the charter’s protection of cultural enjoyment opportunities.
Vegemite was first created in Melbourne during the early 1920s as a substitute for British Marmite during wartime shortages.
The spread’s distinctive factory aroma was declared heritage significant by a Melbourne council in 2022.
An Australian aerospace company even included Vegemite in a rocket nose cone during a test launch earlier this year.
However, the acquired taste remains controversial internationally.
Vegemite featured in Sweden’s “Disgusting Food Museum” in 2018 alongside fermented herrings and maggot cheese. – AFP
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