.auda Releases New .au namespace.

Way back in April 2016 The Australian Domain Administration auDA approved a second-level domain in the .au namespace. This effectively removes the .com from the domain name thus making the URL shorter. For example, www.webcentral.com.au can now be www.webcentral.au  Applications will open to all organisations and persons on March 24, 2022, that can verify their presence in Australia. There is a list of certain criteria registrants will have to meet.

Priority Application Period for New .au namespace

If you currently own a com.au, org.au, net.au, asn.au, gov.au, edu.au or id.au domain name then you can participate in the Priority Allocation Process. The Priority Application Period will commence on March 24, 2022, and continue for six months until September 20, 2022. In this six-month period domain name owners can register their intent to licence the new .au namespace.

This should reserve the domain name holder the right to be allocated the .au direct name. However, there is a slight chance someone my own mysolarpanel.com.au and another entity may own mysolarpanel.net.au In short auDA has created 2 categories and they are –

• Priority Category 1 – Domain names registered before February 4, 2018
• Priority Category 2 – Domain names registered after February 4, 2018

Category 1 registrants will have priority over category 2 applicants. If both applicants are category 1 then an agreement or negotiation will have to be made between the two parties. In the case that both applicants are category 2 then the .au name will be given to the applicant with the earliest registration date.

Priority Application Rules for New .au namespace

• Have a verified Australian presence
• Register your intent to licence between March 24 and September 20, 2022
• Hold a current com.au, net.au, gov.au, org.au, asn.au, edu.au or id.au domain name

Why Should I Register the New .au namespace?

The main reason to register the new .au direct namespace should be brand protection and security. Imagine you have poured 10 years of marketing and advertising into your business. Your business has grown and thrived in this time. You have built a strong internet presence and now someone is using a shorter version of your domain name and are piggybacking on all your hard work. This should be reason enough to register the new .au namespace.

How Much Will The New .au Namespce Cost?

The new .au direct namespace will be the same cost as registering a .com.au domain name.

Useful Links
auDA Priority Status Tool
WHOIS Domain Name Lookup Tool