Overview:

• State privilege is extended to the Armenian Apostolic Church.

• Procedures for recognition and registration are amalgamated which is not ideal.

• The “expertise” of the Division of Religious Affairs and National Minorities on determining the authenticity of a group based on “historically recognised holy scripture” is troublingly subjective.

• Further restrictive stipulations of having a certain membership quota and the subjective stipulation of being “free from materialism and be of a spiritual nature” are also

• Recognition procedures for “national minorities” remain ambiguous, thus owing to further restrictivity.

• The subjectivity of some requirements in the registration process are open to widespread misuse.

Positive elements:

• Nil.

Recommendations:

• Establish differentiated systems for recognition and registration.