The Insurance Council of Western Australia (ICWA) has teamed up with the McGowan government and the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) to provide thousands of cricket helmets to community cricket clubs across the state.
The announcement comes after the recent mandatory cricket helmet ruling, which will help reduce the risk of concussions and other head injuries for community cricketers across Australia.
The $1 million, four-year deal will promote the state insurer's “Belt up” road safety campaign, and support the Belt up Country Cup, Belt up CricketWest Cup, and a two-day Belt up Round for Premier Cricket. It also includes funding for independence-enabling equipment – including visual aids, different-sized balls, and customised bats – to boost participation among people with disability at the inclusive Belt up Integrated Cricket League.
“Reducing head trauma on the cricket field is a similar aim to the Belt up campaign’s objective to lessen the severity of injury in a crash by wearing a seat belt,” Treasurer Ben Wyatt said. “People injured on WA roads cost the Insurance Commission around half a billion dollars last year. The average lifetime care cost for someone with a brain injury is $4 million. Not belting up greatly increases the likelihood of being killed or receiving a head injury in a crash, so it is appropriate to commit some resources targeting that behaviour. As a summer sport, the cricket sponsorship helps give Belt up prominence throughout the year. Cricket also has strong participation across regional WA, which is important to the Insurance Commission given the high vehicle accident rates in country areas.
