The new .au domain extension

As of March 24, 2022, Australian businesses can now register their domain for the new .au extension.

The new .au domain extension is the biggest advancement in the .au space in 20 years providing:

• Greater choice of trusted, uniquely Australian domain names
• Access to shorter, simpler website and email addresses
• Domain names that are easier to type and display on mobile devices
• A great option for new business ideas, marketing campaigns, one-off events, and personalised websites and email address.

That being said, there are definitely points our clients need to be aware of since the launch of this new extension.

• Businesses that already hold another .au domain extension (eg. .com.au, .net.au, etc.) will have a 6-month period (also known as the Priority Application Period) where they will have the first opportunity to register for the new extension. After September 20, 2022, the ‘yourdomain.au’ will open to the public on a first come, first served basis.

• Australians will be able to register as long as they’re are eligible in accordance to the .au Licensing Rules.

• As emphasised by the Australian Cyber Security Centre, by not registering their current domain for the new extension, businesses are opening avenues for easier fraudulent impersonation attempts and cybercrime activities. The shorter, simpler .au extension makes it harder for other businesses and even your own employees to distinguish criminal domains being used in phishing scams.

Eg. The image on the left is of a real business domain email, and the one on the right is a phishing attempt by cybercriminals. Could your finance department tell the difference?

We are advising our clients if you already have a .com.au, .net.au, or .org.au domain registered, please ensure you register for the new ‘.au’ domain name extension to increase your business security. Contact us to register your domain name for the new ‘.au’ extension, or to learn more!