A new category of domain names “.au” was made available in March 2022. These shorter domain names are a new option for Australian business websites and email addresses.
If you own a domain name ending in .com.au (or .net.au / .edu.au / .org.au etc) then you have priority to the same shorter domain name ending .au. This priority is for six months and the window for the priority business registrations of the .au equivalent names expires on the 20 September 2022. If you do not exercise this priority registration option by this date then anyone will be able to register the .au name.
It is possible that cyber criminals will see a possibility to register these .au suffixes as an opportunity to impersonate a business and scam its customers. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) recommends that all Australian businesses, organisations and individuals at least consider taking advantage of the priority allocation process.
auDA is the administrator of the “.au” domains so you can find more information on their website or reserve your “.au” domain by visiting an auDA accredited registrar. If a third party manages your domain names, we suggest you contact them regarding the best process for you to secure the “.au” domain name.
