Speakers' Corner form was banned following a serious riot between Catholics and Orangemen. However, following the formalisation of free speech in Speakers' Corner in London it was decided in 1878 that The Domain would be the place for free speech in Sydney. In 'Diary of a Voyage to Australia, New Zealand and other lands' (published 1896), Robert Roberts notes that "On the west side [of a particular location] is a feature peculiar to Sydney in all the world - a preaching park. There are of course, parks in other cities where open-air spouting is practiced on Sundays, such as Hyde Park, in
Speakers' Corner, Singapore a public outdoor demonstration at Speakers' Corner. The Public Order Act, intended to regulate public assemblies and processions and to introduce new powers for the preservation of public order, came into force on 9 October 2009. On the same day, the Public Order (Unrestricted Area) Order 2009 ("2009 POA Order") made pursuant to the Act declared that Speakers' Corner was an unrestricted area in which assemblies and processions could be held without the need for a police permit. Thus, at present, Speakers' Corner is concurrently regulated by the Parks and Trees Regulations, and by exemption orders issued under the PEMA