.au direct – two years and counting

auDA recently commemorated the two-year anniversary of .au direct - Australia's newest namespace. In the time it's been available, this innovative namespace has become the second most popular choice for Australian internet users.

Two years on, here's what we love about .au direct.

1. Shorter, more memorable Australian domain names

The launch of .au direct changed the game for Australian internet users, enabling them to register shorter, more memorable domain names directly before the .au for the first time.

Since launch, .au direct has opened up greater choice - with Australian businesses, not-for-profit and community organisations, and individuals signing up for short, simple and memorable .au direct domain names.

At auDA, we registered our own short, simple .au direct domain name, getyour.au, for our recent awareness campaign.

.au direct - just like fairy bread, Aussies get it.

2. A popular choice for Australians

Despite its relative youth, .au direct is now the second largest .au namespace, accounting for almost one in five .au domain names. As of February 2024, there were more than 762,000 .au direct domain names registered, accounting for 18 per cent of all .au domain names.

By way of comparison, com.au - which is the largest namespace in .au with 3.1 million domain names - has been around since the 1980s.

The steady increase in .au direct registrations has contributed to the overall growth of the .au domain and propelled the .au to become one of the top ten Top Level Domains globally and the seventh largest ccTLD in the world, according to Verisign.

3. A perfect choice for your new idea, side hustle or passion project

Whether you're an entrepreneur, a passionate artist or an emerging online influencer, a .au direct domain name is a key asset when building your online presence and showcasing your connection to Australia. It's a perfect choice for anyone with a budding business idea keen to register a domain name for a future venture.

While com.au is dedicated to commercial entities registered in Australia (including businesses that hold Australian Business Numbers (ABNs) or similar), .au direct is available to any person or organisation with a connection to Australia, validated at the time of registration. So, if you haven't yet registered your new business and don't yet have an ABN but you meet the Australian presence requirement, you can still register a .au direct to establish your digital presence today.

Find the full requirements for .au domain names at Section 2.4 of the .au Licensing Rules.

4. New namespace, same high standard for security

At auDA, security remains paramount. Since .au direct launched in March 2022, we've seen no increase in fraudulent registrations. According to ICANN's DNS Abuse Activity Reporting, around 0.03 per cent of .au domain names experience domain name system (DNS) abuse, well below the global average. By comparison, generic Top Level Domains (TLDs) experience an average 0.3 per cent instances of DNS abuse.

This is a testament to the robust Licensing Rules that govern the .au domain, guide who can register .au domain names and minimise the potential for .au domain names to be used for online harm.

auDA safeguards .au by requiring registrants to demonstrate their Australian connection before registering a .au domain name (ensuring they can be held to account under Australian laws and regulations) and through comprehensive compliance activity and DNS abuse audits.

Learn more about how we keep .au secure in our A secure .au report.

Find more information about .au direct and register a .au direct name today via your choice of .au domain name provider.

.au direct