Having a website that your constituents and the broader Australian public can access is an important part of modern political engagement.
Whether you’re a current parliamentarian or a political candidate, a .au domain name can provide public access and accountability in a space you can build and shape yourself.
Having a .au domain name gives your public presence a home where you can host communications, link your social media channels and provide clear statements about your policy positions.
It also clearly tells the public that you’re based in Australia, serving your fellow citizens.
How can parliamentarians and political candidates register a .au domain name
Parliamentarians and political candidates are able to register domain names in the following namespaces:
- org.au
- com.au
- net.au
- .au direct.
Parliamentarians can register under their own name, or if they’re part of a registered political party, the party can manage the domain name registration on their behalf as per the .au Licensing Rules.
If the domain name is managed under your own name or personal information, you are the registrant and have rights to use the domain name, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements throughout your licence period.
Party-managed domain name registration
If a party is managing your registration, they will be the registrant and have rights to use the domain name. They should use the party’s identifying information such as their Australian Business Number (ABN) to ensure the domain name is correctly registered.
Staff members using personal ABNs or external companies such as IT contractors should not register domain names on behalf of parliamentarians or candidates. This will almost certainly lead to eligibility, allocation and renewal issues.
If you leave politics or your political party, as the registrant, the party will need to contact the registrar responsible for managing that domain name (registrar of record) to arrange a transfer of the .au domain name licence to you. You need to meet the eligibility and allocation requirements to ensure you can continue to use the registered domain name.
Maintaining your .au domain name
If you do not renew your .au domain name prior to the licence expiry date or your eligibility changes, another eligible person, business or organisation could gain the right to use the domain name for their own purposes. This can negatively impact you and your party by causing reputational damage and disruption to how you communicate with your community. It’s also important to note that it’s not always possible to recover your original domain name.
Maintaining your .au domain name
If you do not renew your .au domain name prior to the licence expiry date or your eligibility changes, another eligible person, business or organisation could gain the right to use the domain name for their own purposes.
This can negatively impact you and your party by causing reputational damage and disruption to how you communicate with your community. It’s also important to note that it’s not always possible to recover your original domain name.
Eligibility and allocation requirements
You must meet the eligibility and allocation criteria to hold your .au domain name throughout the licence period. Members of the public can challenge your eligibility to hold a domain name licence at any time.
If you do not meet these requirements, your licence may be cancelled.
Renewals
Keep track of the expiry date for your .au domain name licence and renew your licence before the expiry date if you wish to continue using the domain name. If your licence expires before it’s renewed, it will become available for registration by other eligible applicants.
You can renew a licence from 90 days before its expiration date. You must renew your licence within this time. There’s a 30-day grace period following the expiry date for you to renew.
You will not be able to use or update your .au domain name during the 30-day grace period after expiry, which means your website and email services will stop working during this time.
Certain domain name providers will charge a fee to restore a domain name during this grace period.
Key steps to maintain your .au domain name licence
.au namespaces available to parliamentarians and political candidates
.au direct
People, organisations and businesses with a validated Australian presence can register available domain names in the .au direct namespace (e.g. getyour.au). As a parliamentarian or political candidate, you may choose to register a .au direct domain name yourself or via the political party endorsing you.
com.au and net.au
If you have a personal ABN, you may choose to register your domain name directly. Alternatively, the political party endorsing you may be eligible to arrange the registration on your behalf using the party’s ABN. If the ABN used for your registration is cancelled, expires or no longer relates to the domain name, your eligibility may be affected. Discuss your options with your party before you decide how to register.