Direct domain names: secure your new .au

The new direct .au domain names launched in March 2022 allow businesses, organisations and individuals to register shorter domain names, and are available to anyone creating or managing an online presence with a verified connection to Australia.

According to auDA, the body that manages the domain names, over 200,000 Australians have already registered their .au direct domain name – including Grant Thornton.

Priority allocation

Since March 2022, existing .au registrants were eligible for the Priority Allocation Process, enabling them to apply for priority status of a direct .au domain name matching their pre-existing domain name. For instance, if a business had already registered a domain name with the .com.au domain, that business has until 20 September 2022 to apply for priority status of the exact match with the direct .au domain.

After 20 September 2022, direct .au domain names that have not been registered will be available to the general public.

What’s the issue?

If a business hasn’t applied for priority status to register their direct .au domain name by 20 September 2022, anyone is able to then register that direct .au domain name.

This may result in the potential for someone to impersonate a business and conduct fraudulent cyber activity, such as creating a fake website to obtain personal or payment information, or sending emails to people pretending to be a business in an effort to redirect payments or obtain personal information. This can also increase the risk of a company being caught up in phishing and business email fraud campaigns. It may also open the door for someone to register the new .au domain name and withhold a business’s .au domain name in exchange for financial gain.

If a company has not applied for Priority Allocation for their direct domain name and a member of the general public is able to register a company’s domain name, it may negatively impact previous efforts to achieve search engine rankings, which could result in financial losses. Additionally, it can be a complicated process to regain a domain name once it is registered to someone.

A businesses domain name contributes directly to a business’s online presence, and by extension their brand, reputation and intellectual property. The ACSC recommends that all Australian businesses with existing domain names register the .au equivalents to protect against these risks.

What do I need to do?

Businesses need to safeguard their online presence and reputation now, by applying for priority status for a .au domain before 22 September 2022.

How to apply:

• The registrant must hold a .au domain name registered prior to 24 March 2022, and remain eligible to hold that domain name licence under the .au Licensing Rules.
• Apply for Priority Status through your registrar, or any other accredited registrar offering .au direct domain names.
• You will also need a priority token (or authorisation code) for your application to be accepted.
• You can find more information on how to apply on the auDA website.

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