.au Domain Administration

Manager of the .au domain June 2020 May 2018 the Arab leader Auda Abu Tayi November 2016 .au Domain Administration Ltd. .au Domain Administration.svg Logo of .au Domain Administration Ltd as updated in 2011 Non-profit private company limited by guarantee 1999 ABN 38 079 009 340 079 009 340 PO Box 18315Melbourne, VIC 3001Australia Dr Bruce Tonkin (CEO)Alan Cameron AO (Chair) Australia Policy authority and industry self-regulator body for the .au Country code top-level domain auda.org.au .au Domain Administration (auDA) is the policy authority and industry self-regulatory body for the .au domain, which is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Australia. It was formed in 1999 to manage the .au ccTLD with the endorsement of the Australian Government and the authority of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). It is a not-for-profit membership organisation that promotes and protects the .au domain space. History Early history of .au The operation of the .au ccTLD began in 1986 with the delegation of .au administration to Robert Elz of the University of Melbourne by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Elz devised the second-level domain (2LD) name structure, including .com.au, .net.au, .edu.au and .org.au, and introduced policies concerning eligibility for these domains. These policies included reserving the .com.au 2LD for registered commercial entities trading in Australia, and only being able to register a domain that closely aligned with a registrant's commercial name.31 July 2000 Report of the Name Policy Advisory Panel https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/npap-stage1-report.pdf .au Domain Administration Ltd 9 February 2017 9 March 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170309223636/https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/npap-stage1-report.pdf dead Elz was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the .au ccTLD with all services provided free. By 1996, as businesses realised the commercial potential of the Internet, management of registrations became too great a job for Elz to accomplish by himself. Elz licensed the .com.au 2LD operation exclusively to Melbourne IT, the commercial arm of the University of Melbourne, for a term of five years.http://www.rogerclarke.com/II/OzI04.html Origins and Nature of the Internet in Australia Clarke Roger 29 January 2004 Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 9 February 2017 Elz did not charge for domain services, but Melbourne IT ran domain registration on a for-profit basis, charging between $125–150 per year for registrations.Selby John Market Disclosure and Governance Challenges When Floating University Research on the Stock Market: The Float of Melbourne IT Limited by the University of Melbourne Journal of Law, Information and Science 2015 http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/JlLawInfoSci/2015/2.html (2014/2015) 23(2) Journal of Law, Information and Science 1. Melbourne IT intended to remove the registration of pre-existing .com.au names whose owners had not paid registration fees by March 1997. This prompted ISP iiNet to file a class-action lawsuit on behalf of .com.au domain holders. iiNet withdrew this action when Melbourne IT assured them it would not remove existing domains until at least October 1997, when competition in the .com.au administration was expected to exist.http://www.iinet.net.au/about/timeline.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/19980224153402/http://www.iinet.net.au/about/timeline.html 1998-02-24 iiNet Timeline 1998 iiNet.net.au iiNet Technologies Pty Ltd 2017-02-09 However, disenchantment in the way the .au domain was run persisted, leading to demand for a single regulatory body to oversee the namespace. 30 years of .au: Growing the Aussie Internet 1996–2006 https://www.ausregistry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/BTD_Issue_8.pdf Behind the Dot Melbourne, Australia AusRegistry August 2016 9 February 2017 See .oz for the early history of .oz.au. Birth of auDA In recognition of the deteriorating state of .au, the Australian Internet community – primarily through several key industry associations and personalities – held a series of forums to work out a way forward.Rowe Joshua October 2008 Improving Internet Usability – A Framework For Domain Name Policy Evaluation BAppSc(CompSc) RMIT University https://researchrepository.rmit.edu.au/esploro/outputs/9921861417901341 2022-08-02 The result of this period of collaboration was the establishment in June 1997 of a new policy development body called Australian Domain Name Administration, or ADNAGerrand Peter 26 June 1997 Australian Domain Name Administration Formed http://www.adna.asn.au/PressReleases/26June1997.html dead Sydney, Australia Australian Domain Name Administration https://web.archive.org/web/19981203084014/http://www.adna.asn.au/PressReleases/26June1997.html 1998-12-03 2017-02-09 tasked with taking control of .au and operating the domain space for the public good. ADNA, however, was marked by internal conflicts.http://www.rogerclarke.com/II/LanceSep98.html The Domain Name System: Engineering vs Economics Kate Lance September 1998 AUUG98 Conference https://www.auug.org.au/events/1998/auug98/ Sydney, Australia After two years of internal struggles, ADNA was renamed .au Domain Administration (auDA) and adopted a new constitution, procedures, and board. ISOC-AU Applauds Domain Name Reform Process https://www.internet.org.au/docs/media/368-domain-name-reform-process-990426/file PDF Sydney, Australia Internet Society of Australia 26 April 1999 2017-02-10 The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts set objectives for the new auDA board to reach in order for the new entity to gain endorsement as an industry self-regulatory body, 9 October 2000 Transfer of Authority for the .au ccTLD: Report on auDA's Achievements and Capacity to Manage Domain Names in Australia https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-govt-report.pdf .au Domain Administration Ltd. 2017-02-10 1 April 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180401164157/https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-govt-report.pdf dead endorsement achieved in December 2000. Preparing the new regime The inaugural board of the new organisation was elected in April 1999, and began the task of trying to help mould a new framework of policies for the .au domain space. As part of the process, the organisation obtained a reassignment of management of the .au domain space from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), ccTLD Agreement Signed with auDA https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2001-10-25-en Marina del Rey, California ICANN 25 October 2001 2017-02-10 which had absorbed the responsibility for global root domain administration from IANA. This was the first formal agreement ICANN ever signed with a ccTLD operator. With the endorsement of the Australian GovernmentSenator the Hon Richard Alston .au Domain Administrator Ltd Report of auDA's Achievements December 2000 PDF https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-govt-endorse.pdf 2017-02-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20201106204602/https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-govt-endorse.pdf 6 November 2020 and ICANN, auDA became the recognised ccTLD body for the .au domain space. auDA undertook reviews into .au domain policies. These reviews utilised experts from relevant fields to consider public and stakeholder submissions and feedback and devise policies. Key auDA panels that shaped the current .au landscape include the Name Policy Advisory Panel of 2000,https://www.auda.org.au/policies/panels-and-committees/name-policy-advisory-panel/ Name Policy Advisory Panel July 2001 .au Domain Administration Ltd 2017-02-10 13 February 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164142/https://www.auda.org.au/policies/panels-and-committees/name-policy-advisory-panel/ dead and the Competition Model Advisory Panel of 2000.https://www.auda.org.au/policies/panels-and-committees/competition-model-advisory-panel/ Competition Model Advisory Panel June 2001 .au Domain Administration https://web.archive.org/web/20170213165144/https://www.auda.org.au/policies/panels-and-committees/competition-model-advisory-panel/ 2017-02-10 13 February 2017 dead The latter concluded that the .au domain space should be as open as possible, with competition at both the domain name registry and the domain name registrar levels.June 2001 Report of Policies in .au Second Level Domains https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/cmap-model-final.pdf .au Domain Administration 10 February 2017 9 March 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170309223757/https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/cmap-model-final.pdf dead The Name Policy Advisory Panel resulted in naming policy remaining mostly unchanged, with the exception of the .id.au sub-domain which was liberalised.April 2001 Report of Policies in .au Second Level Domains https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/npap-eligibility-final.pdf .au Domain Administration Ltd 10 February 2017 23 February 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170223042428/https://www.auda.org.au/pdf/npap-eligibility-final.pdf dead In 2001, as a result of the Competition Model Advisory Panel's report, the operation of five key .au registries – .com.au, .net.au, .org.au, .asn.au and .id.au was put to tender. The winning bidder(s) were to operate the registry for four years. One bid, encompassing all five registries, from AusRegistry won. auDA Awards Registry Tender to RegistrarsAsia Subsidiary https://www.auda.org.au/news/auda-awards-registry-tender-to-registrarsasia-subsidiary/ Melbourne, Australia .au Domain Administration 12 December 2001 2017-02-13 13 February 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164653/https://www.auda.org.au/news/auda-awards-registry-tender-to-registrarsasia-subsidiary/ dead After 16 years of running the .AU registry, AusRegistry lost a competitive tender process to Afilias, who will take over the running of the .AU registry on 1 July 2018.https://auda.org.au/news/afilias-chosen-to-supply-au-registry-services/ Afilias Chosen to Supply .au Registry Services 18 December 2017 Growth and Liberalisation The new regime of competition and name policy began on 1 July 2002, with AusRegistry as the new domain name registry operator with 282,632 domain names under management.September 2013 .au Survey 2013 https://ausregistry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/au_survey_2013.pdf AusRegistry 10 February 2017 The new domain environment saw an increase in registrations, growing by over 3,000 domains in the first month of operations. Further liberalisation of domain policies over the next few years, including the abolition of limits on the number of domains owned and removal of rules banning the registration of generic domains (such as flowers.com.au) saw the total domains under management grow to 710,428 by June 2006 – a growth of 252% in four years. By January 2017, there were more than 3 million .au domains under the management of AusRegistry,January 2017 AusRegistry EOM Report for General Release https://ausregistry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/1701General.pdf AusRegistry 10 February 2017 with the .au domain space enjoying a trusted reputation among domains in Australia.https://www.ausregistry.com.au/au-survey-2016-findings-released .au Survey 2016 Findings Released 27 October 2016 AusRegistry 2017-02-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164537/https://www.ausregistry.com.au/au-survey-2016-findings-released 13 February 2017 dead dmy-all Role auDA is the policy authority and industry self-regulatory body for the .au domain space, charged with managing and maintaining a secure and stable domain name system. It achieves this through its main functions including: the development and implementation of domain name policy in the .au domain space, the licensing of 2LD registry operators, the accreditation and licensing of registrars and facilitating .au dispute resolutions. Through its sponsorship agreement with ICANN, auDA represents .au at ICANN meetings and other international fora, and is also responsible for the management of the .au domain name system zone file. The zone file is a text file which contains a list of DNS servers for the second-level domains in the .au domain space and contains the IP addresses of DNS servers for .au and second-level domains, where those DNS servers themselves are within .au. auDA also oversees and deploys new technologies and initiatives in the .au name space, which includes Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) auDA's own Information Security Standard (ISS). The ISS security standard was developed by a security group formed by auDA after a compromise on a registrars data systems. The ISS standard is based on ISO 27001. The Total Internet Group comprising ddns.com.au, cheaperdomains.com.au & ib.com.au are the first registrars to be accredited in 2013 a world first for the domain name industry .auda.org.au/news Domain name policies See Also: .au Registration_Policies_and_Rules Informed by the original domain eligibility criteria developed by Robert Elz, auDA has maintained a policy of requiring registrants to have either an exact match or a "close and substantial connection"https://www.auda.org.au/policies/index-of-published-policies/2012/2012-05/ Guidelines on the Interpretation of Policy Rules for Open 2LDs 17 December 2012 .au Domain Administration Ltd 2017-02-10 to their desired domain name. This "policy rich"https://pearcey.org.au/2013-hall-of-fame/ 2013 Pearcey Hall of Fame 8 August 2013 Pearcey Foundation 2017-02-10 21 February 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210221063606/https://pearcey.org.au/2013-hall-of-fame/ dead approach to the name space, begun by Elz and continued by auDA, has meant the .au domain space has avoided the cybersquatting and other illicit uses of domains prevalent in other more permissive domains. In 2016, the auDA board announced its decision to introduce direct registrations in .au – for example "yourname.au" – after the submission of the final report of the 2015 Names Policy Panel. December 2015 2015 Names Policy Panel Final Report https://www.auda.org.au/assets/pdf/2015npp-final-report.pdf .au Domain Administration 2017-02-13 13 February 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164804/https://www.auda.org.au/assets/pdf/2015npp-final-report.pdf dead This follows on from the introduction of direct registration in the .uk and .nz domain spaces. Direct registration was due to be implemented in 2017 but did not go ahead at that time. It was launched on 24 March 2022. Disputes and complaints auDA is responsible for handling complaints and reducing fraud in domain name registration. This responsibility includes complaints regarding .au domain names, referred to as domain complaints and complaints concerning .au registrars and resellers, known as industry complaints. This responsibility does not extend to complaints about the content or use of websites, which may be handled by the Australian Communications & Media Authority, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, a state or territory fair trading office, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, or through civil court proceedings, depending on the nature and content of the complaint.https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/new-au-licensing-rules/complaints-process-under-new-licensing-rules The complaints process under the new licensing rules auda.org.au Domain complaints may relate to: domain name complaints under the .au Dispute Resolution Policy (auDRP); licensing complaints, including registrant eligibility; domain transfers; prohibited misspellings; other breaches of domain name licence terms and conditions. Industry complaints may relate to the management or services provided by an auDA accredited registrar, breaches of auDA codes of practice or other policies. In some cases, this has involved legal action.https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/domain-name-reseller-to-provide-refunds-following-accc-federal-court-action Domain Name Reseller to provide refunds following ACCC Federal Court action 5 December 2002 Australian Competition & Consumer Commission 2017-02-13 .au Dispute Resolution Policy (auDRP) Complaints See: .au .au_Dispute_Resolution_Policy_(auDRP) Licensing Complaints A licensing complaint may be made on the allegation that the domain name registrant does not comply with the auDA Licensing or Eligibility Rules applicable to the domain name. Since April 2021, licensing complaints are handled directly by the domain name's registrar of record.https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/new-au-licensing-rules/complaints-process-under-new-licensing-rules The Complaints Process under the New Licensing Rules auda.org.au 2022-02-11 The sole remedy in a licensing complaint is cancellation of the domain name. Unlike auDRP complaints, the domain name cannot be transferred to the complainant. Once cancelled, the domain name again becomes available to the general public for registration. Court Proceedings Domain names may also be subject to court proceedings and orders. Participants in the auDRP Process are required to declare whether or not the relevant domain name is subject to a court proceeding. For example, an Australian Court may make orders concerning a domain name on the basis of trade mark infringement, passing off, or misleading or deceptive conduct. Membership and organisational structure auDA is a member based organisation. The .au member program is open to anyone eligible to hold a .au domain name. Members are entitled to vote at General Meetings of auDA and to nominate and elect representatives to the board of directors. The auDA Board is ultimately responsible for directing the organisation. There are two distinct categories of directors, appointed directors and elected directors. Appointed directors are approved by the board. Elected directors are appointed via a ballot of .au members. Dr Bruce Tonkin is the current CEO of auDA, beginning his term on 1 January 2025. Tonkin previously served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of auDA from 2018 to 2024. Alan Cameron AO is the current Independent Chair of auDA having commenced the role in November 2019. Alan has an extensive legal background, more recently has worked as a consultant and company director. Previous Board Chairs include Chris Leptos and Stuart Benjamin. Previous CEOs include Rosemary Sinclair AM, Cameron Boardman and Chris Disspain. The Australian Government undertook a review of Australia's .au domain management in 2018, to ensure it remains fit for purpose in serving the needs of Australians online.https://www.communications.gov.au/have-your-say/review-australias-au-domain-management Review of Australia's .au domain management 14 November 2017 18 December 2017 auDA welcomed the government review.https://auda.org.au/assets/auDA-DOCA-Response-Final-18DEC2017.pdf Review of Australia's .au management – Submission by .au Domain Administration Limited 18 December 2017 24 February 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180224114231/https://auda.org.au/assets/auDA-DOCA-Response-Final-18DEC2017.pdf dead .au direct On 24 March 2022, auDA launched a new namespace, .au direct which provides a greater choice of names for Australian websites and email addresses. The new namespace allows Australians to register domain names directly before the .au, (i.e., example.au). The release of .au direct compliments existing Australian namespaces, including com.au, net.au, gov.au and org.au, and provides shorter, simpler Australian domain names. Priority Allocation When .au direct was introduced on 24 March 2022, all .au domain names registered prior to its launch were placed on a Priority Hold under the Priority Allocation Process. Priority Allocation provided an opportunity for those holding an existing .au domain name licence to apply for the matching .au direct name if they wished to do so. E.g. the licence holder of example.com.au could apply for example.au. The six-month Priority Allocation period opened on 24 March 2022, and ended on 20 September 2022. After that time, matching .au direct domain names without a priority application become available to be registered by eligible members of the public. .au direct domain names proved popular with more than 716,000 .au direct names registered between March and December 2022. Open top and second-level domains managed by auDA .asn.au – For non-commercial organisations. Includes associations incorporated in any Australian State or Territory, political parties, trade unions, sporting or special interest clubs, charities or non-profit organisations. .au – For anyone with a validated Australian presence. Includes Australian citizens and residents and commercial entities registered in Australia. .com.au – For commercial purposes. Includes commercial entities, currently registered and trading in Australia, as well as commercial products and services. .id.au – For Australian individuals (citizens, residents). .net.au – For commercial purposes. Includes commercial entities, currently registered and trading in Australia, as well as commercial products and services. .org.au – For non-for-profit entities. Includes associations incorporated in any Australian State or Territory, political parties, trade unions, charities or non-profit organisations. Closed second-level domains .edu.au – For educational and training institutions, managed on behalf of auDA by Education Services Australia. .gov.au – For Australian Federal, State, Territory and Local government entities. Managed by the Digital Transformation Agency. .csiro.au – For the sole use of the CSIRO, managed by the CSIRO. Geographic second-level domains Community geographic domain nameshttps://www.auda.org.au/news/auda-to-create-new-geographic-2lds-stateterritory-au/ auDA to create new geographic 2LDs – state/territory.au .au Domain Administration Ltd 12 August 2017 12 August 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170812173509/https://www.auda.org.au/news/auda-to-create-new-geographic-2lds-stateterritory-au/ dead were added in August 2006.https://www.auda.org.au/news/auda-reviews-community-geographic-domain-names-policy-2/ auDA reviews community geographic domain names policy .au Domain Administration 12 August 2017 12 August 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170812173542/https://www.auda.org.au/news/auda-reviews-community-geographic-domain-names-policy-2/ dead .act.au – Australian Capital Territory .nsw.au – New South Wales .nt.au – Northern Territory .qld.au – Queensland .sa.au – South Australia .tas.au – Tasmania .vic.au – Victoria .wa.au – Western Australia See also Afilias AusRegistry Internet in Australia Internet governance Melbourne IT Robert Elz References External links auDA Web Site Australian DNS Discussion List Afilias website AusRegistry website Behind the Dot: 30 Years of .au magazine Category:Organizations established in 1999 Category:1999 establishments in Australia Category:Internet in Australia Category:Non-profit organisations based in Victoria (state) Category:History of the Internet Category:Internet governance organizations