The introduction of the legislation was opposed by some groups who feared it would open the way for further discriminatory treatment of Aboriginal people by the police. To evaluate the impact of the legislation, the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research analyzed pre- and post-legislation trends in the recorded incidence of assault, malicious damage to property, and offensive behavior in the town of Walgett, which has a substantial Aboriginal population. The data collected during this evaluation provided no evidence of any change in the recorded rates of these three offense types as a result of declaring Walgett an alcohol-free zone. There were also no indications of either a displacement of offenses such as assault to the domestic environment or an increase in arrest rates. Opinions about the impact of the dry zones was fairly mixed, with some respondents saying the situation had improved while others contended that public drinking had just become more covert. Most police activity seemed to take the form of issuing warning rather than fines; police officers expressed some concern about the problems of enforcing the dry zone law. It seems the establishment of the Walgett dry zone has been only moderately successful in reducing antisocial behavior by drinkers. 19 tables and 17 references