Blue Wren
Top Contributor
URGENT: auDA’s proposed .com.au / .net.au rule change could hit millions of Australian domains — act now
Fellow Aussie business owners, webmasters, registrars and anyone who actually uses a .com.au or .net.au:
auDA (the body that sets the rules for Australian domain names) has accepted in principle Recommendation 2 from its Licensing Rules Review. That recommendation deletes subparagraph (f) from section 2.4.4(2) of the .au Licensing Rules — the long-standing “close and substantial connection” pathway.
What it is
Right now, you can hold a .com.au or .net.au if it has a genuine connection to what you do — a product, service, event, activity or premises — even if the domain is not a close match to your registered company or business name. One active ABN/ACN has been enough for a huge share of the namespace.
The proposed change would remove that pathway. Eligibility would rest on a match or acronym of your registered legal/business name (or an Australian trade mark). Descriptive and brand-style domains that thousands of small businesses have used for years would no longer qualify on the old basis.
Industry and petition estimates put this at around 2.7 million of ~3.4 million .com.au and .net.au names — roughly 80% of that namespace — potentially needing a new ASIC business name, a trade mark, a registrant correction, or facing eligibility problems at renewal. Other analyses put the “fail the new test” figure lower but still in the millions. Either way, it is not a rounding error.
Why it is happening
An independent Policy Advisory Panel reviewed the rules. A majority recommended tightening allocation so domains line up more tightly with a registered name or trade mark. They argued the current clause creates inconsistent application, can look unfair, and can cause consumer confusion. The auDA Board approved the recommendations in principle in August 2026 and asked management for an implementation plan. Nothing is final yet. Draft rules and another public consultation are still supposed to happen. That window is exactly why this is urgent.
Why this is urgent — we must act now
What I am asking — and why I care
I am posting this because I hold .com.au names tied to what I actually sell and do, not to a perfectly matching registered business name string. That is how a huge number of Australian small operators built their sites. Forcing a new business name or trade mark per domain is red tape dressed up as “integrity.” It punishes people who already complied with the rules that existed when they registered.
Do this today:
Sign. Share. Speak up before the implementation plan becomes the new reality.
Protect Australian domains. Protect small business. Stop Recommendation 2.
Fellow Aussie business owners, webmasters, registrars and anyone who actually uses a .com.au or .net.au:
auDA (the body that sets the rules for Australian domain names) has accepted in principle Recommendation 2 from its Licensing Rules Review. That recommendation deletes subparagraph (f) from section 2.4.4(2) of the .au Licensing Rules — the long-standing “close and substantial connection” pathway.
What it is
Right now, you can hold a .com.au or .net.au if it has a genuine connection to what you do — a product, service, event, activity or premises — even if the domain is not a close match to your registered company or business name. One active ABN/ACN has been enough for a huge share of the namespace.
The proposed change would remove that pathway. Eligibility would rest on a match or acronym of your registered legal/business name (or an Australian trade mark). Descriptive and brand-style domains that thousands of small businesses have used for years would no longer qualify on the old basis.
Industry and petition estimates put this at around 2.7 million of ~3.4 million .com.au and .net.au names — roughly 80% of that namespace — potentially needing a new ASIC business name, a trade mark, a registrant correction, or facing eligibility problems at renewal. Other analyses put the “fail the new test” figure lower but still in the millions. Either way, it is not a rounding error.
Why it is happening
An independent Policy Advisory Panel reviewed the rules. A majority recommended tightening allocation so domains line up more tightly with a registered name or trade mark. They argued the current clause creates inconsistent application, can look unfair, and can cause consumer confusion. The auDA Board approved the recommendations in principle in August 2026 and asked management for an implementation plan. Nothing is final yet. Draft rules and another public consultation are still supposed to happen. That window is exactly why this is urgent.
Why this is urgent — we must act now
- The Board has already accepted the direction. Once draft rules are written, the default becomes “how do we implement this,” not “should we do this at all.”
- If it applies at renewal (not yet decided), existing sites that were 100% compliant when registered could become non-compliant overnight.
- Petition figures: hundreds of millions in extra ASIC / IP Australia / registrar work just to stay put, plus ongoing cost for every new name. Even if those dollar figures are high-end, the operational load on small businesses and registrars (GoDaddy, VentraIP, Webcentral, Crazy Domains, Help.com.au and the rest) is real.
- WHOIS will show a large share of names as no longer matching the new test. That invites a flood of complaints and deletion pressure that the system is not built to handle cleanly.
- Trust in .com.au as “the Australian address” gets damaged. People will just park on .com.
What I am asking — and why I care
I am posting this because I hold .com.au names tied to what I actually sell and do, not to a perfectly matching registered business name string. That is how a huge number of Australian small operators built their sites. Forcing a new business name or trade mark per domain is red tape dressed up as “integrity.” It punishes people who already complied with the rules that existed when they registered.
Do this today:
- Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/stop-auda-...sinesses-160cc927-704c-476b-a170-11826d9f62c2
- Share this thread and the petition with every business owner, web designer and registrar contact you have.
- Write to auDA, the Minister for Communications (Anika Wells) and the Shadow Minister. Tell them to keep clause (f) and grandfather existing registrations.
- When the next official consultation opens, submit. Silence will be treated as consent.
Sign. Share. Speak up before the implementation plan becomes the new reality.
Protect Australian domains. Protect small business. Stop Recommendation 2.
