Tenpin Bowling Australia (TBA) have announced a new action plan to better support Reconciliation in the tenpin bowling industry.

The TBA has established an Indigenous Advisory Group, with the task of adequately developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) for the organisation.

TBA chairman, Jerome Joseph, said: “We recognise as an organisation that we are at the very start of our reconciliation journey, but I am very proud that we have taken a huge step today by releasing TBA’s first Reconciliation Action Plan.”

“RAP aims to strengthen relationships between all members within communities, to better support all Australians.

“It also ensures we remain focused on our vision of building strong relationships within the community and actively connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non- indigenous people through play and skill of the sport,” Joseph said.

The plan has four key pillars, business of bowling, playful connections, pinned together and a striking force, ensuring the TBA can effectively implement practical and reportable actions.

This comes after the 20th anniversary of Reconciliation Australia, which highlighted to the TBA they needed to do more to better support Reconciliation in Australia.

“I am excited to see the actions implemented to showcase who we want to be as a sport and organisation in achieving meaningful outcomes both internally and in the communities that we operate,” Joseph said.

The organisation’s Indigenous Advisory Group originally consisted of Joseph, TBA CEO, Rohan O’Neill, and National Indigenous Culinary Institute CEO, Nathan Lovett, with meetings ongoing since May 2021.

With the release of the RAP, Tenpin Bowling Australia plans to extend the advisory group with the establishment of a governance structure to provide oversight and delivery of the RAP.