Changes to the .au Namespace

Changes to the .au Namespace

auDA, the body which regulates .au domain names, will introduce a new set of rules for .au domains which comes into effect on 12 April 2021.


Some of the key policy changes include:

  • New terms and conditions for domain licenses.
  • Renting or leasing domain names AND sub-domains will be prohibited (An example of a sub-domain is members.hostaway.net.au).
  • Expanded eligibility for State and Territory namespaces (such as .wa.au).
  • New complaints and dispute resolution procedures.
  • If your domain was registered using an Australian Trade Mark (instead of an ABN/ACN) then your domain will need to be an exact match to your Trade Mark.
  • You can no longer register a .id.au name to refer to a personal interest or hobby (you can still use your legal names, acronyms or abbreviations of your name or a nickname).
  • Unincorporated associations which are not registered with the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC) will no longer be eligible for .org.au domains.

If your domain name licence expires after 12 April 2021 the rules in place at the time you registered or last renewed your domain name will apply until the end of the current licence period. If the name is renewed the new licensing rules will apply to it as the new licence is only created once the current one expires.

You can find a copy of the new rules on the auDA website here and we strongly suggest you read the more detailed summary of the changes here.


Another major change will be the introduction of shorter, simpler .au domain names – like forexample.au – which will soon be available as an additional option for registration by Australian internet users.

These names are known as ‘second level’ domains as they sit at the level below ‘.au’, the country code top level domain (ccTLD) for Australia. Second level .au domain names are expected to launch in 2021.

When second level names launch (auDA hasn’t specified a date yet), existing registrants of .au domains will have the chance to apply for priority to register the exact match of their domain name at the second level.

e.g. we will have priority to register hostaway.au because we already have hostaway.net.au

Registrants of existing com.au, net.au, org.au, asn.au, id.au, gov.au and edu.au domain names will be able to participate in the priority allocation process.

We will provide more details as they are released however if you wish to read more about the priority allocation process please visit this auDA page.

Call Now Button