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A convicted murderer is challenging an Australian state ban on prisoners eating Vegemite, claiming stopping the “polarizing yeast-based spread” is a breach of his human right to “enjoy my culture as an Australian”.
Andre McKechnie, 54, has taken his fight over the “salty, sticky, brown byproduct of beer making” to the Supreme Court of Victoria. He is suing Victoria’s Department of Justice and Community Safety and Corrections, the agency responsible for managing prisons.
The case is due to go to trial next year, with McKechnie asking the court to declare that the defendants have deprived him of his right to “enjoy his culture as an Australian” under the Charter of Human Rights and Accountability Act.
He also wants a declaration that the defendants violated the Corrections Act by failing to provide adequate food to maintain McKechnie’s “welfare.”
He wants the court to order the decision to ban Vegemite to be “reframed in accordance with law.”
McKechnie is currently being held in the maximum security Port Phillip prison. He was 23 when he stabbed rich man to death gold coast Property developer Otto Kuhne queensland State in 1994.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and transferred from Queensland to the Victorian prison system a decade later.
He wrote last year that he spent eight years on parole in Victoria before he “decided I’d had enough.” He returned to prison and has spent the past decade in custody.
Vegemite is banned Victorian In prisons since 2006, Correctional Victoria says it “interferes with drug detection dogs.”
Prisoners would sprinkle Vegemite on packages of illegal drugs in the hope that the smell would distract dogs from the contraband.
Vegemite also contains yeast, which is banned Victorian The contraband list states that it can be used in prisons due to “the possibility of being used in the production of alcohol”.
Made in Australia As an alternative since 1923 Britain‘S MarmiteVegemite was long marketed as a source of vitamin B for growing children.
This spread is loved by most Australians, but is generally considered an acquired taste by those who did not grow up on it.
The last US President to visit Australia, Barack ObamaOnce said: “It’s terrible.”
Australian band Men at Work sparked international curiosity about yeast-based spreads when they mentioned “vegemite sandwiches” in their 1980s hit “Down Under”.
The band’s lead singer Colin Hay once accused American critics of giving Vegemite too much importance and blamed American culture of “more is more”.
It’s a favorite on breakfast toast and cheese sandwiches, with most fans agreeing that it’s best applied in moderation. Australian travelers are saddened by the lack of Vegemite overseas.
The Australian government intervened in April when Canadian authorities temporarily stopped torontoThe sale of Vegemite in jars and on toast at a Japanese-based café led to a controversy that was branded by the media as “Vegemite-gate”. Despite failure to comply with local regulations regarding food packaging and vitamin fortification, Canadians relented and allowed the product to be sold.
Department of Justice And Community Safety and Corrections Victoria declined to comment on Tuesday. Government agencies generally say it is not appropriate to comment on issues that are before the courts.
John Heron, a lawyer and attorney for crime victims, said it was a frivolous lawsuit and humiliating for the victims’ families.
“As victims, we have no rights. We have limited if any help. It’s always about the perpetrator, and this just reinforces it,” said Herron, whose daughter Courtney Herron was beaten to death. melbourne Park in 2019. His killer was found not guilty of murder due to mental weakness.
“This is not a matter of Vegemite or Nutella Or whatever. “It’s an added benefit that is throwing in our faces the tragedy that we’ve endured,” Herron said.
McKechnie’s attorneys did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.