April 19, 2018

Australian government to reform .AU domain’s management framework

The decision is made in a bid to ensure effective performance and meet the needs of Australia’s internet community.

Domain registry

The Australian government is all set to make amendments to its .AU ccTLD in a bid to cater to the requirements of the country’s internet community and improve their overall performance. As a part of these proposed amendments, the Australian government have accepted all 29 recommendations to meet this goal.

According to the Govt. of Australia, the current management framework of auDA (Australian ccTLD’s domain administration), is not fit to cater to the needs of the internet community in Australia. In order to align the framework, the Govt. of Australia says that they have accepted recommendations which focus on ensuring stakeholder engagement and fostering trust in the .AU domain.

Speaking about the move in detail, Mitch Fifield, Minister for Communications and the Arts, commented:

The central finding of the review is that auDA’s current management framework is no longer fit-for-purpose and reform is necessary if the company is to perform effectively and meet the needs of Australia’s internet community.

The government’s review is timely to ensure the right framework is in place so that Australia’s .au domain administrator is modern, fit-for-purpose and supports the interests of Australia’s internet users.

The Govt. of Australia say that the amendments will be reflective of the current changes and trends taking place in the digital landscape. They also claim that these amendments will start reflecting six months after the move is exercised.

Explaining this, Fifield added:

These terms of endorsement outline the government’s expectations and provide auDA with the mandate to make the necessary reforms to its governance arrangements. The government expects to see significant progress within the next three to six months from auDA in implementing these changes.