Aboriginal football hero Michael Long’s walk to Canberra has sparked a drive to relaunch ATSIC as an independent body funded entirely by walkathons.

Mr Long set off from Melbourne to draw attention to Aborigines’ plight but got a lift when Prime Minister John Howard rang Mr Long’s mobile to say he’d better hurry up because he had smoko waiting.

The meeting was seen as a test of Mr Howard’s plans to manage Aboriginal affairs by occasionally calling in Aboriginal leaders for a cup of tea and a Tim-Tam. The Labor Party broke the story of the Tim-Tam plan after learning part of the former ATSIC budget was diverted to Arnotts and Bushells.

Sacked ATSIC chairman Mr Geoff Clark said he was inspired by Mr Long’s effort and had started signing up friends, relatives and acquaintances to sponsor him in a walkathon.

“I could stand to lose a few kilos and a new walkathon-powered ATSIC could be just the thing to create a leaner, meaner Aboriginal peak body,” he said.

Mr Clark added that he would appoint an independent auditor, probably one of his cousins, to oversee handling of the sponsorship money.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Amanda Vanstone praised the initiative. “We’ve been waiting a long time to see this sort of initiative from the blackfellas,” she said.

“As we all know they get cheap home loans from the government and free cars. And I know that’s a racist myth, but it helps to win votes from the rednecks who would otherwise vote for Pauline Hanson.”

Vanstone urged Aborigines to think laterally about how they could raise more funds.

“Things like street stalls selling those quaint dot paintings and stunts like getting Ernie Dingo to play the world’s longest didgeridoo,” she suggested.

Vanstone defended the Tim-Tam plan.

“We know that the darkies like Tim-Tams because there was that bloke in the Northern Territory who got locked up under mandatory sentencing for stealing a packet of biscuits and a bottle of cordial,” she said.