Convicted Murderer Loses Court Fight Over Vegemite Ban in Victorian Prisons

A man serving a life sentence for murder in Australia has failed in his attempt to overturn a prison ban on Vegemite, the salty yeast spread widely seen as a national emblem.

Andre McKechnie, 54, argued that the rule, which has been in force since 2006, stopped him from enjoying his culture as an Australian. A Supreme Court judge dismissed the appeal on Monday, finding that the prisoner's "cultural rights are limited primarily by the fact he has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment".

McKechnie brought the case against Victoria's Department of Justice and Corrections, the agency that runs the state's prisons. He claimed the ban breached legislation requiring prisons to supply food that lets inmates maintain their health and well-being. The judge ruled that this had not been proven.

McKechnie was sentenced to life for fatally stabbing a property developer in Queensland in the 1990s. He served part of his term in Queensland before being moved to Victoria.

Authorities in Victoria say the strong-smelling paste can be used by inmates to conceal contraband substances or to brew alcohol in custody. During the hearing, the court heard evidence from Corrections Victoria that the odor of Vegemite can distract sniffer dogs that are trying to detect drugs being brought into prisons.

The spread is also banned in jails in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.

Vegemite first appeared on Australian shop shelves in 1923. The thick, brown product was invented in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, more than a century ago as an alternative to the British spread Marmite. While it is a much-loved breakfast staple for some, it has also attracted controversy over the years.

Last April, it sparked an international dispute when an Australian cafe owner in Canada was told to remove jars of the condiment from his shelves because it did not meet local health regulations. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stepped into the row, calling it "rather odd" that Canada permitted the sale of Marmite, which he described as Vegemite's "rubbish" rival. The cafe owner was later allowed to keep selling the spread.