The .au Domain Administration (auDA) has announced its board has approved new rules for the .au domain and its associated namespaces, set to launch in April 2021.
The rules, first proposed in 2018, were designed to better meet the evolving needs of registrants, boost trust and security in the .au domain and keep it Australian-owned. The new rules also streamlined and simplified more than 30 policies and guidelines currently govern the .au domain.
The changes include:
- eligibility and allocation rules for some namespaces (e.g. com.au, net.au, org.au and asn.au);
- the terms and conditions for .au domain names;
- the complaints process; and
- how auDA manages compliance with the rules.
“I’m pleased to share that the new .au domain licensing rules will launch on 12 April 2021,” auDA chief executive Rosemary Sinclair said.
“This signifies an important step forward in .au governance – modernising the policy framework, ensuring the .au domain can respond to the changing needs of Internet users, and continuing to build trust and confidence in .au namespaces.”
The organisation has also worked on how the new rules would be implemented throughout the year, and training for registrars are set to start “shortly” to help understand and apply the new rules and inform the relevant changes to their customers.
The rules still do not include the id.au namespace, second level names and internationalised domain names, which are expected to come into effect in the next phases.
For .au domain name licences expiring after 12 April 2021, the previous rules will apply until the end of the current licence period, with the new rules applying from when the new licence period commences.
“The new rules are the result of close engagement and consultation with stakeholders. I thank everyone who provided their valuable insights, as well as our community of accredited .au registrars, which will be crucial to the successful implementation of the new rules,” Sinclair added.
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