Australia's .au domain under review

The federal government has announced a review of the management of the .au domain “to ensure it remains fit for purpose in serving the needs of Australians online”.

The operation and management framework of the .au domain was last reviewed 16 years ago. It is currently overseen by the not-for-profit .au Domain Administration (auDA).

“The .au domain is an intrinsic part of the identity of many Australian businesses and organisations operating on the internet,” said Minister for Communications Senator Mitch Fifield.

“Consumers visiting .au sites know they are Australian and are protected under Australian consumer laws.”

Since the last review, the “digital landscape has changed significantly as the economy increasingly revolves around the internet”, the Minister added.

The review will be undertaken by the Department of Communications and the Arts and will “examine the most appropriate framework for the domain”, including identifying risk and mitigation strategies for the security and stability of the domain.

The department will soon release a discussion paper seeking input from industry and community stakeholders.

The review is expected to be finalised by early 2018. The terms of reference are available at www.communications.gov.au/audomainreview.

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