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 permit as the topic of his speech was racially sensitive. A subsequent application for a permit was turned down. A contravention of the regulations renders speakers and organizers of demonstrations liable to fines of up to $10,000, or incarceration of up to six months. The penalty for displaying anything violent, lewd or obscene at a demonstration is a fine not exceeding $3,000 or, on a subsequent conviction, $5,000. Events which adhere to the regulations are also not immune from other existing laws such as those relating to defamation and sedition. In 2011, the regulations creating Speakers' Corner were suspended