The regulatory authority for the .au domain space, auDA, is considering opening up the space to direct registrations – e.g. myname.au.

Through its Names Policy Panel (NPP), auDA is conducting a review of the policies for allocation and use of domain names in the .au domain space. One of the key terms of reference for the review is whether direct registrations at the second level should be permitted.

Currently, .au domain name registrations can only occur in one of the five established second levels: com.au, net.au, org.au, asn.au, id.au. However, .uk and .nz have recently opened up to direct registration at the second level, raising the question of whether .au should follow suit.

As part of is public consultation, the NPP has released an Issues Paper seeking input on the following questions:

• do new gTLDs pose a threat to the “.au brand”?
• is there evidence of any market demand for direct registrations?
• what types of registrants/users would benefit from direct registrations?
• what policy rules should apply to direct registrations?
• what issues would need to be taken into account as part of the implementation process?
• should .au follow the example of other ccTLDs like .uk and .nz?

Input can be provided in two ways:

1. by written submission, sent by email to  jo.lim@auda.org.au
2. by completing the online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5XYL2WW

Submissions are due by Monday, 1 June 2015.