As administrator of the .au domain, auDA plays a central role in promoting multi-stakeholder engagement and maintaining and enhancing the reputation of the .au as a secure, trusted space.
We have developed two new draft documents that seek to address standards of conduct expected of auDA staff and those interacting with auDA, and the process for making a complaint about auDA’s conduct. These documents are:
- Draft Engagement Charter
- Draft Conduct Complaints Policy.
These documents demonstrate and support auDA’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
Once final, the Engagement Charter will apply to members of the public who interact with auDA and their engagement with auDA. The Conduct Complaints Policy provides a basis for members of the public that wish to complain about auDA’s conduct. Accordingly, we are seeking public feedback during a 21-day consultation period, commencing 28 January 2025.
1. Draft Engagement Charter
auDA’s Draft Engagement Charter sets out proposed standards of reasonable and respectful conduct to which auDA will hold itself and hold the people who interact with us. It is not a policy and does not create any new powers or processes, rather it provides clarity and public notice of our approach.
The proposed expectations in the Draft Engagement Charter that apply to auDA and to people who engage with auDA are to:
- Behave fairly and respect and treat people equally
- Act reasonably, objectively and in good faith
- Promote good conduct through transparency, accountability and ethical behaviour
- Engage productively by being informed, listening and contributing in good faith.
The Draft Engagement Charter sets out the process for dealing with breaches of its terms, including recourse to the new Conduct Complaints Policy.
2. Draft Conduct Complaints Policy
auDA’s Draft Conduct Complaints Policy is a proposed new auDA corporate policy that seeks to deliver a consistent, accountable approach to complaints about the conduct of auDA staff. This Policy will formalise the process under which auDA manages complaints about auDA’s conduct when providing services to the public.
The Conduct Complaints Policy does not replace existing complaint procedures, and excludes complaints about .au domain names, which are dealt with under the .au Licensing Rules, and employment issues and whistleblower complaints, which are dealt with under existing corporate policies.
The benefits of a Conduct Complaints Policy include:
- Ensuring there is a consistent and accountable complaint process for the public
- The opportunity to identify and fix issues before they escalate
- Generating data and insights to support continuous improvement
- Increasing trust in auDA and administration of the .au domain.
Have your say
Please send your submission to policies@auda.org.au.
The public consultation for the Engagement Charter and the Conduct Complaints Policy commenced on 28 January 2025 and will close at 5pm 18 February 2025 AEDT.
Please note that all submissions will be published on our website following a final decision on any amendments, unless you ask us to keep your submission private.
auDA reserves the right to redact or decline to publish the submission where it includes inappropriate content such as potentially defamatory material. We will advise you if such as decision is made.
We ask that you consider the expectations for engagement, as articulated in the Draft Engagement Charter when you make your submission.