Registrants of.au domain names that were registered before March 24, 2022 (e.g., ending in com.au, net.au, org.au) were eligible to participate in the Priority Allocation Process, which ran from March 24 to September 20, 2022.
The following.au domain names were used:
- Subject to the Priority Allocation Process’s priority hold; and
- During the Priority Allocation Period, no priority applications were received.
At 21:00 UTC on October 3, 2022, eligible members of the general public will be able to register (8:00 AM AEDT 4 Oct 2022).
Contested Names
There are a few.au direct domain names that are still subject to priority hold. These names remain unallocated because there are multiple, eligible registrants with active ‘category 1’ priority applications.
In those cases, the.au direct name will be assigned only if the parties agree or if there is only one active application left.
Resolving a contested .au domain name allocation
Priority applicants must negotiate among themselves to determine who will receive the.au direct domain name they have applied for.
Applicants will be able to communicate with one another using the publicly available registrant contact email address found in WHOIS.
The priority status tool can be used to determine which registrants currently have an active application for a .au direct domain name that is on priority hold.
When a compromise is reached:
- The agreed-upon applicant or applicants will withdraw their applications.
- With the only active priority application remaining, the name is assigned to the registrant. The licence will be granted for a one-year trial period.
If no agreement can be reached:
- Priority hold will continue to apply to the.au direct domain name.
- The name will be placed on priority hold until only one active application remains.
If applicants want to keep their.au direct domain name, they must renew their application on a yearly basis.
Conclusion
If you missed the priority period, don’t worry; you can still register your .au through our domain registration page or contact our support team, who will be happy to help.