Convicted killer Andre McKechnie loses court battle over his ‘human right’ to eat Vegemite in Victorian prison

Key points

• A convicted murderer has lost a Victorian Supreme Court case over a ban on Vegemite in prisons. Andre McKechnie argued that being refused the spread breached his human right to enjoy his culture as an Australian.
• Justice Claire Harris found the ban was a proportionate measure by prison authorities and dismissed the case. The ban was introduced in Victorian prisons in 2006 over concerns it could interfere with narcotic detection dogs and that its yeast could be used to brew alcohol.
• McKechnie is serving a life sentence for a 1996 stabbing murder in Queensland.