Victorian Prisoner Loses Legal Battle to Keep Vegemite on His Menu
A Supreme Court judge ruled Monday that a life-sentence inmate's cultural rights are limited by his imprisonment, ending a decade-long dispute over the yeast spread.
By Jabari Long ·
Andre McKechnie, 54, failed to overturn a prison ban on Vegemite in a Supreme Court ruling on Monday.
McKechnie has served a life sentence for murder since the 1990s. He stabbed a property developer in Queensland before being transferred to a prison in Victoria. The state ban on the spread took effect in 2006. McKechnie argued the rule prevented him from enjoying his Australian culture. He sued Victoria's Department of Justice and Corrections, claiming the ban violated laws requiring prisons to provide food that supports inmate health and well-being. The judge found no evidence that the ban breached those legislative requirements.
The court dismissed the appeal based on the limitations of prisoner rights. The judge stated that McKechnie's cultural rights are limited primarily by the fact that he is serving a term of imprisonment. Corrections Victoria provided evidence that the strong smell of the paste can interfere with sniffer dogs. Officials said the odor distracts canines, making it harder to detect drugs being brought into facilities. The department also noted that inmates use the spread to conceal contraband or brew alcohol in custody.
The ban extends beyond Victoria. Jails in Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania also prohibit the product. Vegemite first appeared on Australian shelves in 1923. Invented in Melbourne, it was created as an alternative to the British spread Marmite. The product remains a staple for many Australians, though it has drawn controversy. In April 2025, a dispute in Canada forced an Australian cafe owner to remove jars of the condiment from his shelves due to local health regulations. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intervened in that case. He called it rather odd that Canada allowed the sale of Marmite, which he described as Vegemite's rubbish rival. The cafe owner was eventually permitted to resume selling the spread.
The legal defeat closes a multi-year effort by McKechnie to change prison food policy. The ruling stands as a final decision on his specific appeal regarding the 2006 rule.
