August 23, 2019
Registering a domain name directly under Australia's .au will be delayed for a few months says au Domain Administration (auDA).
Direct registration involves being able to register a domain name directly under a Top Level Domain (TLD), including country code TLDs (ccTLDs). So, for example, as well as registering a .com.au a business could also register the .au version of that web address under the upcoming changes.
In July we reported direct .au registrations were still scheduled at that point to be implemented in the final quarter of 2019. However, earlier this week auDA announced a delay, saying it envisioned this would now occur in the first half of 2020.
It has been decided this week an additional three-month long public consultation will be conducted, with the goal of further promoting awareness and communicating plans to simplify related licence rules. Additionally, auDA says it wishes to thoroughly understand (and avoid) any potential direct .au domain registration implementation issues.
".. it is critically important that the changes are widely understood, backed by an education program and supported by robust business processes throughout industry," stated the body in an announcement published on Wednesday attributed to auDA Chair Suzanne Ewart. "It is also essential that these changes are implemented in a way that minimises imposts on business and avoids unintended consequences."
The outcome of the public consultation along with a summary of technical and process improvements will be considered by auDA's Board late this year; after new governance arrangements and its new Board are in place.
When direct registrations are made available, it won't be a first-in, best-dressed arrangement in a situation where the domain name left of the dot already exists anywhere the .au namespace - there will be priority given to registrants of such domain names. You can view draft rules for the priority registration process here.
auDA is the administrator and self-regulatory policy body for the .au ccTLD, a role it has been carrying out since formal endorsement by the Australian Government in 2000. It also oversees and rolls out new technologies and initiatives for .au.
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