Documents revealed to The Examiner show the costs estimated by the court’s registrar to be $40,082.56.

The council’s general manager Robert Dobrzynski said the effect of the ruling changed the bar in terms of the matters which can and cannot consider in making a decision on applications to preach.

“The awarding of costs in legal matters is commonplace, and the council has been awarded costs in several recent cases – unfortunately, costs in this matter were awarded against the council,” he said.

Mr Dobrzynski said the council had received a number of complaints from members of the community expressing concern with the manner of preaching being conducted in the CBD.

“It should be indicated that in line with clear community expectations, it was extremely important that the council tested this matter in the Federal Court,” he said.

“The City of Launceston believes it has a duty to residents to provide a family-friendly environment in the CBD, consistent with retail and outdoor dining and the various activities that take place in the city.”

He said previous requests for permits to preach in parts of the CBD had been refused by the council in a manner “consistent with expressed community sentiment”.

The council’s decision to refuse Mr Corneloup a permit to preach in the mall was overturned by the Federal Court in February.

“It left the council little option but to reconsider the granting of permits for preaching in the mall, or suffer the very real risk that further Federal Court action would occur and decisions would be made against the council,” Mr Dobrzynski said.

“In effect, the ruling has created a benchmark that the council has limited flexibility on.”

In 2013 it was revealed the Adelaide City Council spent about $750,000 in an attempt to prevent Mr Corneloup preaching in public.

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