A prisoner has filed a lawsuit against an Australian state because of its ban on inmates eating Vegemite. While the polarizing yeast-based spread is widely popular Down Under, it’s banned in Aussie prisons after being used nefariously.
The inmate claims in the suit that being denied access to the hotly debated yeast-based spread violates his fundamental right to “enjoy his culture as an Australian,” as reported by The Associated Press.
According to court documents obtained by the AP, Andre McKechnie, 54, who is serving a life sentence for murder, has taken his legal challenge to the Supreme Court of Victoria.
McKechnie is reportedly suing Victoria’s Department of Justice and Community Safety, along with Corrections Victoria, which manages the state’s prisons. His case is set to be heard next year.
An Australian sensation
Vegemite, a brown byproduct of brewing beer, has become a staple of culture Down Under, with more than 80% of Australian households estimated to have a jar in their kitchen.
The food is venerated by many Australians, but visitors have different opinions, with former President Barack Obama calling it “horrible” while accompanied by the Australian prime minister at a Virginia school in 2011.
The salty food is traditionally served on toast and in some sandwiches.
Vegemite became globally iconic with its mention in the 1980s hit song “Down Under” by Men at Work.
Why is Vegemite banned at 12 Victorian prisons?
However, inmates in all of Victoria’s 12 prisons are not allowed to have the food. It’s been banned from Victorian prisons for nearly two decades because officials say it “interferes with narcotic detection dogs.”
Prisons in the states of Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania, as well as in the Australian Capital Territory, also have prohibitions on Vegemite, per the AP.
Prisoners allegedly used to smear packages of illegal drugs with Vegemite in order for the strong odor to distract the dogs from the illicit contents.
In 2018, authorities in northern Australia reportedly found cocaine smuggled inside a jar of Vegemite.
Vegemite also contains yeast, which is also prohibited in Victorian prisons because it can potentially be used to make alcohol.
Reports of Vegemite being used to make alcohol
Years ago, reports began to surface about indigenous Australians using Vegemite to brew alcohol in bathtubs. The company that then owned Vegemite, Mondelez International, refuted the reports. Mondelez argued that the production process eliminated the yeast and that “Vegemite cannot be fermented into alcohol.”
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Vegemite has been produced in Australia since 1923 and was marketed as a source of vitamin B for kids.
What the inmate wants from the court
McKechnie, meanwhile, wants a court decision affirming his allegations that he was denied his right, citing the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act.
“All persons with a particular cultural, religious, racial or linguistic background” shall be guaranteed the right “ to enjoy their culture, to declare and practice their religion and to use their language,” the charter states.
McKechnie also wants the court to find that the defendants violated the Corrections Act because they failed to give him the proper amount of food to sustain his “well-being.”
Victims’ advocates express anger over lawsuit
Victims’ advocates have called McKechnie’s lawsuit frivolous and offensive.
“As victims, we don’t have any rights,” John Herron, a victims advocate and lawyer, told the AP. “We have limited, if any, support. It’s always about the perpetrator, and this just reinforces that.”
Herron’s daughter, Courtney, died after being beaten to death in a Melbourne park in 2019. The person charged with her murder was reportedly found not guilty because of mental impairment.
“It’s not a case of Vegemite or Nutella or whatever it may be. It’s an extra perk that is rubbing our faces in the tragedy that we’ve suffered,” Herron said.
McKechnie is currently housed in a maximum security prison. He was convicted of the stabbing murder of Gold Coast property developer Otto Kuhne in 1994.
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