Australian judge upholds Vegemite ban in prisons on security grounds

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 11:31 · Archive

An Australian prisoner lost a human rights challenge to his state's 20-year ban on Vegemite in prisons.

Andre McKechnie, a 55-year-old serving a life sentence for murder at Barwon Prison in Victoria, took his challenge to the state's Supreme Court last year, arguing that withholding Vegemite breached his human rights.

McKechnie contended that the ban denied him his right under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act to 'enjoy his culture as an Australian in the community with other persons of Australian background'. He represented himself by video link from maximum security.

Justice Claire Harris accepted that the ban 'limited his cultural rights' under the charter. However, she found the restriction was justified to meet prison authorities' goals of removing illicit drugs and alcohol from the prison system. 'The limitation on Mr. McKechnie's ability to enjoy Vegemite in community with other persons of Australian background is primarily that he is a prisoner,' Harris wrote in her 47-page judgment.

Prison officials testified that Vegemite has been banned throughout Victoria's 12 prisons for the past 20 years because it could potentially impair sniffer dogs' ability to detect narcotics and could be used to brew alcohol. McKechnie pointed to neighbouring New South Wales, which does not ban Vegemite, as evidence that less restrictive means were available, but this argument did not persuade the court.

How it is being reported

• Australian judge rejects prisoner’s human rights challenge to Vegemite banA prisoner has lost his challenge to an Australian state’s ban on inmates eating Vegemite after he argued in court that withholding the polarizing yeast-based spread breached his human right to “enjoy his culture as an Australian.”.Clickorlando · 26 Oct, 11:12
• Australian judge rejects prisoner’s human rights challenge to Vegemite banA prisoner has lost his challenge to an Australian state’s ban on inmates eating Vegemite after he argued in court that withholding the polarizing yeast-based spread breached his human right to “enjoy his culture as an Australian.”.News4Jax · 26 Oct, 11:12

In this story: Andre McKechnie · Justice Claire Harris · Victoria · Barwon Prison · New South Wales

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