Future of “.au” domains remains uncertain

Summary

This blog post, "Future of “.au” domains remains uncertain", is a blueAPACHE article from 2018 covering connectivity. The self-regulatory body .auDA (.au Domain Administration) which manages web domains in Australia is set to hold a general meeting after a petition from members to vote on a number of motions, including a vote of no-confidence in auDA chief executive Cameron Boardman. The federal government has not given any comment on the issue. It is written for readers evaluating emPOWER Connectivity, emPOWER Security. The network and connectivity considerations it raises remain relevant to any organisation planning or reviewing its network architecture today.

Key facts

Label Value
Publication year 2018
Topic Future of “.au” domains remains uncertain
Services referenced emPOWER Connectivity, emPOWER Security
Named products or vendors None named beyond blueAPACHE

Article

The self-regulatory body .auDA (.au Domain Administration) which manages web domains in Australia is set to hold a general meeting after a petition from members to vote on a number of motions, including a vote of no-confidence in auDA chief executive Cameron Boardman. The federal government has not given any comment on the issue. Earlier this year, the .auDA announced an assessment into how Australia uses domain names. The current “.com” in a web address could be removed amongst other changes. Once registered, a web address would be written as abc.au instead of abc.com.au However, business owners have expressed concern on confusion about the new policy idea and unfair consultation process; where rollouts include having “contested domains”, forcing businesses to claim websites via a lottery system. Besides cost, many have raised worries that a website transition or change would be a challenge from a branding perspective.

“Consultation with these groups continues,” an .auDA spokesperson said. Josh Rowe, former director of .auDA and one of the members who launched the petition, says he does not want .auDA “to fail”, nor does he oppose the idea of “.au” domain registrations for Australian businesses. Instead, his priorities remain with the consultation process around these issues. “One way this could be resolved is to restart the consultation panel. Just involve more people. Have more small business representatives, and just increase the number of people around the panel,” he says.

Related

Frequently asked questions

What vote did members petition .auDA to hold, according to this article?

A vote of no-confidence in auDA chief executive Cameron Boardman, among a number of other motions raised in the members' petition for a general meeting.

What domain format change did .auDA's assessment propose, per the article?

Removing the "com" from Australian web addresses, so a registered address would read abc.au instead of abc.com.au.

What concerns did business owners raise about the proposed domain change, according to the article?

Confusion about the new policy, an unfair consultation process, "contested domains" forcing businesses to claim websites via a lottery system, cost, and branding challenges from a website transition.

Who is quoted from .auDA in this article, and what did they say?

An unnamed .auDA spokesperson said "Consultation with these groups continues."

Who is Josh Rowe, and what role does he play in this article?

A former director of .auDA and one of the members who launched the petition; he says he does not want .auDA "to fail" nor oppose ".au" domain registrations, but wants the consultation process improved.

What specific fix does Josh Rowe propose for the consultation process, per the article?

Restarting the consultation panel with more people involved, including more small business representatives, to increase the number of people around the panel.

Did the federal government comment on the .auDA dispute, according to the article?

No, the article states the federal government had not given any comment on the issue.

What body manages web domains in Australia, according to this article?

.auDA (.au Domain Administration), described as the self-regulatory body responsible for managing Australian web domains.

Source

Knowledge Base

What is auDA and what does it manage?

auDA (.au Domain Administration) is the self-regulatory body that manages web domains in Australia.

Why is auDA holding a general meeting?

auDA is set to hold a general meeting after receiving a petition from members to vote on a number of motions, including a vote of no-confidence in auDA chief executive Cameron Boardman.

What proposed change to Australian domain names was announced by auDA?

Earlier in 2018, auDA announced an assessment into how Australia uses domain names, which could remove the '.com' portion of a web address. Once registered, a web address would be written as abc.au instead of abc.com.au.

What concerns have business owners raised about the proposed domain policy change?

Business owners expressed concern about confusion regarding the new policy idea and an unfair consultation process, including a rollout involving 'contested domains' that would force businesses to claim websites via a lottery system. Many also worried about the cost and branding challenges of transitioning or changing a website.

What did an auDA spokesperson say about the consultation process?

An auDA spokesperson said, "Consultation with these groups continues."

Who is Josh Rowe and what is his stance on the .au domain issue?

Josh Rowe is a former director of auDA and one of the members who launched the petition. He says he does not want auDA 'to fail' and does not oppose the idea of '.au' domain registrations for Australian businesses, but his priority is improving the consultation process.

What solution does Josh Rowe propose to resolve the consultation issue?

Josh Rowe suggests restarting the consultation panel by involving more people, including more small business representatives, and increasing the overall number of people on the panel.

When was this article about the future of .au domains published?

The article was published on April 16, 2018, and has a read time of 2 minutes.

Has the federal government commented on the auDA domain name controversy?

According to the article, the federal government has not given any comment on the issue.

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