550,000 com.au and net.au domain names registered

Posted by Jo Lim on 15 September 2005

auDA-appointed domain name registry, AusRegistry, drops fees by 15 percent after hitting milestone

Melbourne, 15 September, 2005 - Effective from today .au Domain Administration (auDA) announced a reduction in the fee AusRegistry charges registrars for .au domains by 15 percent from $35.05 to $30.05.

Chris Disspain, CEO of auDA said, " AusRegistry’s fee reduction is a result of the number of registered commercial .au domain names (com.au and net.au) hitting 550,000. Australian domain name customers clearly recognise and are responding to the integrity of Australia’s self-regulated domain name system."

"Australian businesses want to be distinctively "Australian" and they know that .au means "Australian" in the online world."

"Online customers in Australia are quickly learning that they are safer dealing with businesses with com.au or net.au domain names because those businesses are subject to Australian consumer protection laws and the law of Australia generally," he said.

This is because only registered Australian businesses, or those with Australian trademarks can register a com.au or net.au domain name.

Mr Disspain said it was up to individual registrars to pass on the fee reduction to their customers.  The fee domain name customers pay for a .au domain name is made up of the fee charged by AusRegistry (which includes an auDA fee) together with registrar charges.

ENDS

About auDA

.au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA) is an Australian not-for-profit company vested with the responsibility of operating the .au domain for the benefit of all stakeholders.

In its role as manager of the .au domain, auDA carries out the following functions:

  • develop and implement domain name policy
  • license 2LD registry operators
  • accredit and license registrars
  • implement consumer safeguards
  • facilitate .au Dispute Resolution Policy
  • represent .au at ICANN and other international fora.

Media Contacts:

Blackie McDonald

Grant Thomas, Account Director
Grant.Thomas@bmcd.com.au
02 9929 0200

Luke Dean, Account Manager
Luke.Dean@bmcd.com.au
02 9929 0200