If your com.au is named after what you sell rather than the name you trade under, the rule that lets you hold it is the one auDA has approved removing. Approved in principle, that is. Nothing has changed yet.
Here is the count that matters. By our count, the com.au and net.au allocation criteria in clause 2.4.4(2) of the .au Licensing Rules have six lettered pathways, (a) to (f). A majority of the independent Policy Advisory Panel recommended removing clause 2.4.4(2)(f), the one that accepts "the name of a service, goods, event, activity or premises". The other five, clause 2.4.4(2)(a) to (e), stay. They cover a match or acronym of your registered name, a match of your Australian trade mark, and a match or acronym of a Related Australian Body Corporate.
So the question for most small businesses is short. Does your domain line up with your company name, business name or trade mark? If it does, you're on a pathway that stays. If it qualifies only because it names a product or service, you're on the one proposed to go.
And you don't need to do anything today: auDA's FAQ says current com.au and net.au holders have no need to take action yet.
What has auDA actually approved?
- Panel recommendsMajority of the independent Policy Advisory Panel recommends removing clause 2.4.4(2)(f)
- August 2026auDA Board approves recommendations in principle and directs an Implementation Plan
- 6 Sep 2026auDA statement announces the review is complete
- 25 Sep 2026auDA says no changes to the .au Licensing Rules have been finalised
You are here
- Aiming to start by end of October 2026Draft rules and explanatory guide published for public consultation
- LaterBoard finalises the rules
- LaterImplementation with guidance and transition arrangements
Source: auDA
At its August 2026 meeting, the auDA Board approved the Panel's recommendations in principle and directed management to prepare an Implementation Plan.
Recommendation 2 is the one about domain names. It would remove the option to use a service, goods, event, activity or premises name for com.au and net.au. Your domain would instead need to match or be an acronym of your registered name, whether that's a company, business, statutory, personal, partnership or trust name, or match your Australian trade mark.
Why change it? The Panel said the current criteria create different pathways that can make the rules inconsistent, can be seen as unfair to small businesses and in some cases may cause consumer harm. The aim is a stronger link between a domain and the official identity of the business holding it.
Today's rule is still today's rule. auDA's own com.au page still lists "A service or product you offer" as a valid connection. On 25 September 2026, auDA said plainly that no changes to the .au Licensing Rules have been finalised.
No changes to the .au Licensing Rules have been finalised.
Public consultation comes next, and auDA says it is aiming to start it by the end of October. auDA says proposed rule changes will be released for public consultation before the Board finalises them, with the draft rules and an explanatory guide published on the auDA website. auDA's consultations page lists only the earlier Consultation on .au Licensing Rules Review: Draft Report, marked closed.
Does my domain have to match my business name?
Not word for word. Your domain does not have to be identical to your business name: auDA says there is "no current or proposed requirement" to hold an identical business name, and a domain may match "one, some or all of the words or numbers" in a legal name, business name or Australian trade mark.
What auDA does require is order. A "match" means the domain uses the words or numbers in the same order as in the registered name, with no additional words or numbers. auDA's own example takes the business name "auDA domain names" and lists four domains that match: audadomainnames.com.au, auda.com.au, audadomain.com.au and audanames.com.au.
How a match is built
Source: auDA
Look closely at the last one. audanames.com.au skips the middle word and still counts, because the words that remain keep their order. On our reading of that definition, a domain that adds a word not in the name, or shuffles the words, would not be a match. It could still qualify another way, as an acronym of your registered name or a match of your trade mark.
Try it with your own name below. The checker tests word-order matches only.
A guide only. auDA's .au Licensing Rules decide eligibility, and the proposed rules are not final. auDA's review page
Can I keep my com.au domain if it's named after a product or service?
Today, yes. Under the proposal, it depends on the final rules and any transition arrangements, and neither exists yet.
Here's what auDA has said. Once the updated rules take effect, "in some cases registrants may be required to register a business name" that matches their com.au or net.au domain. The Implementation Plan will consider "the number and types of registrations that may be affected and any appropriate transition arrangements". Eligibility is also ongoing: you must meet the requirements for the entire time that you hold the domain name, not just on the day you register.
If your domain names a product or service, these are the routes auDA and business.gov.au describe. They are options to understand, not steps to take this week.
Options, not advice. Nothing is final yet.
| Option | What it involves | Where it's described |
|---|---|---|
| Register a business name that matches your domain |
| business.gov.au |
| Check trade mark options |
| auDA review page, business.gov.au |
| A .au direct name |
| auDA com.au page |
A matching business name. Many businesses already need one: under Australian law you must register a business name if you run a business and are not trading under your own name. ASIC charges a fee for a 1-year or 3-year registration, listed on business.gov.au. You need a business structure and an ABN first, and you need to check the name is available. The application takes about 10 to 15 minutes online, with confirmation within 2 business days if you pay by card or 5 business days by BPAY or EFT.
At today's fees, the 3-year option costs less than three separate 1-year registrations.
A trade mark. A match of your Australian trade mark is one of the pathways that stays. It also does something a business name doesn't: a business name does not give exclusive rights; a trade mark does. You can check whether a name is already a trade mark with TM Checker.
A .au direct name. A name like getyour.au is open to anyone with an Australian presence, with no ABN, no ACN and no connection to the name needed. auDA names it as an alternative if you're not eligible for a com.au. It isn't a sign com.au is on the way out: auDA says there is no intention to phase out com.au in favour of .au direct.
Is your domain registered to your business, or to your web developer?
This is the check we'd suggest first at Good Web Designer, because it matters whatever the final rules say.
A web developer or agency can register a com.au for you with your written permission, and auDA says they should use your details: your ABN and your contact details. If they used their own instead, auDA warns you may have eligibility problems and could miss renewal notices, so the domain could lapse. To check, look your domain up in the .au WHOIS: auDA says if your company name is not there, you are not currently recorded as the licence holder.
On our reading, a rule that ties domains more closely to a business's official identity makes it more important, not less, that the licence sits in your business's own name.
Domain ownership check
Two numbers help here. Registrations run for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years, and the current renewal window is within 90 days before expiry. If renewal notices go to someone else's inbox, that window can pass unnoticed.
What else is in the review?
Recommendation 2 gets the attention, but the same package touches renewals, cancellations and closures. All of these are approved in principle and none is final.
| Topic | Now | Proposed |
|---|---|---|
| Monetisation (Rec 1) | Allowed | Remains allowed in com.au, net.au and .au direct |
| Renewal (Rec 6) | Within 90 days before expiry | Any time before expiry, for up to 5 years from renewal |
| Asking auDA to review a cancellation | 48 hours | 7 days |
| Registrar contact (Rec 8) | Existing requirements | Registrars' duty to contact you on suspension, cancellation or expiry clarified |
| Business closes and ABN/ACN cancelled | No longer eligible for the com.au | Flexible approach to help move to a namespace you remain eligible for, e.g. forexample.com.au to forexample.au |
All proposals approved in principle; none final.
- Monetisation remains allowed in com.au, net.au and .au direct (Recommendation 1).
- Renewals could happen any time before expiry, for up to 5 years from renewal, instead of only in the 90 days before (Recommendation 6).
- Cancellation reviews: the time to ask auDA to review a cancellation decision is 48 hours now, proposed 7 days.
- Registrar contact: Recommendation 8 would clarify registrars' duty to contact registrants on suspension, cancellation or expiry.
- Closed businesses: if a business closes and its ABN or ACN is cancelled, it is no longer eligible for the com.au. The Panel recommended a flexible approach to help registrants move to a namespace they remain eligible for, such as forexample.com.au to forexample.au.
What to watch next
Three things will tell you where you stand, and all of them will come from auDA.
- The draft rules and explanatory guide. They will be published on the auDA website for public consultation. That is your chance to read the actual wording and have your say.
- Transition arrangements. auDA says any future implementation is to be supported by guidance and transition arrangements. Their terms will matter most to product and service domains.
- Key dates. auDA is aiming to open consultation by the end of October, but timeframes for the changes themselves aren't finalised, and auDA says it will provide regular updates in the coming months, including key dates on its review page.
Where things stand
- StatusApproved in principle, August 2026auDA statement
- Final rulesNone finalised as at 25 Sep 2026auDA blog
- Next stepPublic consultation on draft rules and explanatory guide, auDA aiming to start by end of October 2026auDA blog
- Pathways that stayClauses 2.4.4(2)(a) to (e), name match or acronym, trade mark match, Related Australian Body CorporateauDA review page
- Business nameRequired if you trade under a name other than your ownauDA FAQ
- Renewal window nowWithin 90 days before expiryauDA review page
Source: auDA
Not sure where your domain stands?
Start with two questions: does your domain match your registered name or trade mark, and is it registered to your business's own ABN and contact details? If either answer is "I'm not sure", compare your domain with your registered name for the first, and look it up in the .au WHOIS for the second. If a change to your domain would mean changes to your website, tell us what you need through our contact page. You can also see what else we do on our services page.
Sources
- auDA, .au Licensing Rules Review recommendations: status and next steps (25 Sep 2026): https://www.auda.org.au/news-insights/blog/au-licensing-rules-review-recommendations-status-and-next-steps/
- auDA, .au Licensing Rules Review completed by external Policy Advisory Panel (6 Sep 2026): https://www.auda.org.au/news-insights/statements/au-licensing-rules-review-completed-by-external-policy-advisory-panel/
- auDA, .au Licensing Rules Review 2025 (policy panel page and FAQ): https://www.auda.org.au/public-impact/have-your-say/policy-panels/au-licensing-rules-review-2025/
- auDA, com.au domain names: https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/the-different-au-domain-names/com-au-domain-names/
- auDA, Consultations: https://www.auda.org.au/public-impact/have-your-say/consultations
- business.gov.au, Register your business name: https://business.gov.au/registrations/register-your-business-name