The Federal Government is gearing up to release new website domain names that will incorporate state designations.
Domain names currently fail to identify states. Only the ‘au’ at the end of web addresses denotes its Australian location.
But by the end of the year, eight new state and territory domains will provide the opportunity for communities across Australia to establish online presence that directly relate to their geographic location.
Examples of the community geographic domain names are: www.scarborough.wa.au and www.wyalkatchem.wa.au.
Use of such domain names will be restricted to community websites that have local interests, such as local community associations, tourism, historical information, special interest groups, and cultural events.
In another move, the Communications and Information Technology Minister, Senator Helen Coonan, has announced that Australian location names will soon be made available for registration as domain names.
The release will be managed by auDA (.au Domain Administration Limited), the body responsible for managing the .com.au and .net.au domain.
“The release of domain names will give Australian businesses the opportunity to associate their online activities with the name of their city, town or suburb,” Senator Coonan said. “The release will interest businesses with a strong local identity and engagement in particular suburbs or towns.”
Only applicants who are registered to conduct trade in Australia and can demonstrate a close and substantial connection with the geographic name will be eligible to apply for the ballot.
“The process has been designed to be fair,” Senator Coonan said.
Businesses across Australia began applying for commercial geographic names from June 1 2005 in the .com.au and .net.au domains.
Examples of these include subiaco.com.au and bunbury.net.au.
Some commercial geographic domain names are available in both .com.au and .net.au, while some are only available in either .com.au or .net.au.
The release of these previously restricted names follows a 2004 public policy review by .au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA), a not-for-profit company vested with the responsibility of operating the .au domain for the benefit of all stakeholders.
auDA’s chief executive, Chris Disspain, said following the public review the auDA board felt it was clear that commercial geographic domain names were useful and desirable for Australian businesses and that the restriction should be lifted.
“auDA has decided that the fairest and most effective way of releasing these names is by way of a ballot,” Mr Disspain.
Where only one application is received for a domain name, that applicant will be the ballot winner.
Where more than one application is received for a domain name, the ballot winner will be drawn at random using an automated computer program. The winner will pay an auDA release fee of $825 in addition to the cost of registering the domain name.
The funds raised from the release fees will be used by auDA to support the release of community geographic domain names.
The community geographic domain names initiative will enable not-for-profit organisations to register a geographic domain name and develop a portal web site for the local community.
But state Tourism Minister Mark McGowan said he would fight moves to sell-off WA tourist town names.
“This decision will effectively allow any business that can demonstrate a link with a town, district, regional centre, suburb or city to buy the domain name,” he said.