.Au domain names are here. On 24 March 2022, anyone with a local connection to Australia (including businesses, associations, and individuals) has been able to register a new category of domain name known as au
These shorter, more straightforward domain names end in .au NOT, com.au and effectively create 2 domain names These will than .com.au, .net.au, .org.au, .gov.au or .edu.au.
Do you have a “.com.au” domain name?
Existing domain name.com.au license holders have been provided priority to register the .au direct equivalent of their domain name until 20 September 2022,
After this date, any domain names that have not been allocated will become available to the general public.
This new option for domain names creates opportunities for businesses, organizations and individuals; however, it could also provide another opportunity for cybercriminals to utilise your name for a fraudulent activity like business email scams and the like.
Choosing not to register your name as yourname.au and just keeping your name.com,au opens your business up to fraudsters and possibly unethical behaviour by competitors
Check with your domain provider or go to a reputable Australia domain name seller and register your name before the due date.
A domain name ending in .au signifies that the person or organization using it has a connection to Australia.
Many small businesses haven’t registered their domain name and use the standard xxx.gmail.com which is not great branding. Therefore its a great opportunity to look at your branding and improve your online presence.
In .au we have several different namespaces serving different sectors and purposes and with different rules for who can register them and what name they can have.- see auda website for an explanation
‘Open’ .au namespaces
The open namespaces are those in which the public can register names, provided they are eligible.
Each namespace serves a specific type of enterprise or purpose and rules for who can register in them, and what names they can register to vary between them.
The rules for who can register what names in these open namespaces can be found in the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing.