| 
dot-au
This page offers a view of the Australian ccTLD (aka dot-au
space), including its demarcation into several second
level domains such as .com.au and .id.au.
It covers -
Rules
for naming domains in the
.au space are discussed later in this profile, along with
mechanisms for resolving disputes
over contested names and misleading
conduct.
introduction
Like most national domain name spaces (ccTLDs),
dot-au is subdivided into a number of discrete second
level domains (2LDs).
The demarcation between some of those 2LDs has blurred
over time but essentially they indicate the type entity
responsible for an individual domain name (eg a business,
a not-for-profit organisation, a government agency, school
or an individual).
Some 2LDs are effectively moribund; others are likely
to become so in future.
basic structure
The current structure is as follows -
.com.au - commercial entities
.net.au - commercial entities
.edu.au - educational institutions
.gov.au - government agencies
.asn.au - incorporated bodies, political parties, trade
unions, sporting and special interest clubs
.id.au - individuals
.csiro.au - for units of CSIRO, the federal research
& development organisation
.org.au - a catch-all, for registered organisations
that do not fit within other 2LDs such as .com.au or
.asn.au
eight 'geographic' 2LDs, such as .act.au, for geographical
communities
.info.au
- used to identify major Australian information resources
.conf.au - for short duration conference and exhibitions
.telememo.au - a gateway to the X.400 email service
.otc.au - the former OTC X.400 gateway
.gw.au - the former AARNet gateway
.oz.au - for pioneer Robert Elz's machine at Melbourne
University and a handful of other machines
the 2LDs in more detail
The dominant 2LDs in the dot-au space are -
.com.au - commercial entities, such as companies
(with an Australian Company Number as registered through
ASIC), and businesses (registered with state governments).
(The domain name must match the business name registered
with the state/federal government or a registered Trade
Mark or application for Trade Mark or otherwise have
a 'close and substantial' connection)
.net.au - commercial entities, such as companies
(with ACN as registered through ASIC), and businesses
(registered with state governments). The 2LD was formerly
restricted to ISPs and other network service providers.
.edu.au - educational institutions (Universities
and other bodies of national significance are registered
directly in this domain. State based bodies are registered
in a state 3LD, for example name.nsw.edu.au)
.gov.au - federal government bodies are registered
below .gov.au. State or local government are registered
in their state's 3LD, such as name.sa.gov.au
.asn.au - incorporated bodies, political parties,
trade unions, sporting and special interest clubs
.id.au - for individuals who are Australian citizens
or residents. The space was formerly distinguished with
a set of third level domains named after flora and fauna
(eg dropbear.id.au, echidna.id.au, emu.id.au)
.csiro.au - for units of the Commonwealth Scientific
& Industry Research Organisation (CSIRO),
the federal research & development organisation
.org.au - a catch-all, for registered organisations
that do not fit within other 2LDs such as .com.au or
.asn.au
Eight
'geographic' 2LDs are being developed, with the intention
of preserving "Australian geographic names for use
by the relevant community". The expectation is that
communities will establish portals or otherwise make use
of a name that is specific to a particular location. The
2LDs are:
.act.au
- for geographical communities in the Australian Capital
Territory
.nsw.au - the corresponding geographic
2LD for NSW communities
.nt.au - for NT communities
.qld.au - for Queensland communities
.sa.au - for Queensland communities
.tas.au - for Tasmanian communities
.vic.au - for Victorian communities
.wa.au - for WA communities
Several 2LDs are no longer in general use:
.info.au
- used to identify major Australian information resources
.conf.au - for short duration conference and exhibitions
(once the conference or exhibition is finished the domain
must be returned)
.telememo.au - a gateway to the X.400 email
service
.otc.au - the former OTC X.400 gateway
.gw.au - the former AARNet gateway
.oz.au - for pioneer Robert Elz's machine
at Melbourne University and a handful of other machines
connected to ACSnet
open, closed and frozen
As discussed later in this profile, some of those 2LDs
are open and others are closed.
'Openness' refers to restrictions on what entities can
be registered (and more broadly to competition, or its
absence, in the provision of registrar services).
In March 2006 the following 2LDs were open:
com.au
net.au
asn.au
org.au
id.au
The following 2LDs are 'closed' -
edu.au
gov.au
csiro.au
The
info.au and conf.au 2LDs are currently frozen,
pending review by the New Names Advisory Panel.
The eight new 'geographic' 2LDs for Australian states
and territories (eg act.au and qld.au) are under development.
next page
(auDA and dot-au history)
|
blaw