Northern Territory Drug and Alcohol Bureau

The term 'restricted area ' or 'dry area', as used in the context of alcohol consumption in general and Aboriginal drinking in particular, refers to an assortment of by-laws, regulations and other statutes all of which restrict or forbid the consumption of liquor within a certain area. The restrictions can apply continuously or for certain periods only: they can encompass all or only some types of liquor, and there may or may not be provision for certain people to be exempted. They need not apply exclusively to Aboriginal people, but this paper is concerned with the use of restricted area legislation as a response to Aboriginal alcohol abuse. Restrictions of this nature are not new to post-contact Aboriginal Australia. From the early years of this century until the 1960s, Aboriginal people were subjected to a broad range of restrictions on their movements, employment and relationships, and these included restrictions on access to alcohol. Not until 1964 were Aborigines in Western Australia and the Northern Territory granted the right to drink liquor, and the prohibition on supplying liquor to Aborigines i