On 12 April 2021 .au Domain Administration (auDA) introduced a series of changes to the .au namespace and Licensing Rules, including to how .au domains can be registered at State and/or Territory level.

What are State and Territory namespaces?

As shown on auDA’s website, State and Territory domain name extensions (or namespaces) include:

• act.au
• nsw.au
• nt.au
• qld.au
• sa.au
• tas.au
• vic.au
• wa.au

As auDA explains, up until 12 April 2021 these namespaces were only available for registered, non-profit organisations acting on behalf of a community group residing in a locality within the State or Territory (e.g. https://www.apollobay.vic.au/). Peak State and Territory bodies that are registered, non-profit organisations will now be able to register in these namespaces too. For definitions of how peak State and Territory bodies are now defined, refer to auda.org.au.

What does this change mean for my organisation?

If your organisation is a not-for-profit entity that is an incorporated association or a public company limited by guarantee, you may now be eligible for registration in one of these namespaces.

For example, let’s say you’re a peak body for sport on lakes in Victoria, called Lakesport Victorian Incorporated. You meet the requirements of auDA’s revised rules, so you could register lakesport.vic.au.

But how would this benefit your organisation?

An advantage would be that this would help to avoid any confusion around the role your organisation plays as a peak body within a state. There could be a number of similarly named organisations in various states around Australia that include the same keyword (Lakesport), so these are likely to all appear in Google search results. By using a State or Territory domain name your location is clearly defined and emphasised, offering a clear path to your website. Using a State or Territory domain name helps attract local users from your state and territory to your website, providing a unique promotional tool.

These changes help to position State and Territory .au domain names as a credible, location specific option for your organisation. State and Territory .au domain names are an ideal option for establishing yourself as a state or territory based Australian not-for-profit organisation, providing you meet the guidelines. So why not take advantage of these changes by first ensuring that you comply with the new rules, then registering your new State or Territory domain via DDNS’s website today.