In a reprise of his attention-grabbing effort of a year ago, when he walked most of the 660 kilometres from Melbourne to Canberra, Long is again raising awareness about the “national disaster” that is unfolding for indigenous Australians across the country.
“My walk last year was a cry for help,” the ex-Essendon players said of his 2004 marathon trek which secured talks with Prime Minister John Howard.
“Now, today, it’s about a realisation that Australians really do care and they want to make a change.”
Joining Long on the 3.3 kilometre circuit of Melbourne’s Princes Park were a host of sporting celebrities and community leaders, including Olympic 400 metres gold medallist Cathy Freeman.
The shorter course was designed to encourage wider community participation with people from all faiths and cultures invited to “support the vision for a united Australia.”
Some participants wore t-shirts bearing the statement: “This isn’t about indigenous Australia or white Australia, it’s about all Australia,” to ram home the message that the plight of Aborigines is a problem that affects the nation as a whole.
Mr Long pointed to an array of statistics which paint a bleak picture of indigenous lives.
Up to 20 percent of prison inmates are Aboriginal despite indigenous people representing just two percent of the overall population.
Life expectancy for Aborigines is 17 years lower and child mortality rates are three times higher than for the rest of the community.
“This is truly a national disaster,” Mr Long said.