.au Domain Administration (auDA) today released its 2021-22 Annual Report, which highlights a strong year of growth and innovation in .au.
.au domain name registrations passed 3.6 million in the financial year, up eight per cent from 2020-21, demonstrating community support for trusted, Australian domain names in an increasingly digital society. In March 2022, .au amassed over 134,000 new registrations, more than doubling the previous highest month on record in July 2020.
The significant growth in .au was driven by the launch of Australia’s newest namespace, .au direct, in March 2022. Australian businesses, organisations and individuals embraced the innovative choice of shorter, simpler, trusted domain names.
The Annual Report presents further key initiatives by auDA in 2021-22, demonstrating delivery of its vision to unlock economic and social value for all Australians. This includes:
- Introducing a refreshed program to grow and diversify .au membership
- Supporting a successful 2021 auDA Foundation Grant Round, delivering benefits for Australians through the internet
- Releasing the inaugural Digital Lives of Australians research to explore online experiences of Australian consumers and small businesses
- Continued delivery of a stable, secure and reliable .au domain name system and a transparent, responsive .au Licensing Framework that support Australia’s digital economy and society
- Extensive engagement in multi-stakeholder internet governance processes in Australia and internationally to advocate for an open, free, secure and global internet.
auDA Chair Alan Cameron AO said, “auDA’s small but effective team delivered a significant program of work in 2021-22. Guided by a new strategic direction and renewed endorsement from the Federal Government, our focus on security, governance and innovation continued to underpin the integrity of .au and supported a notable increase in registrations by Australians.”
auDA CEO Rosemary Sinclair AM said, “auDA is delighted to have enabled Australians access to online benefits through a trusted .au and our advocacy for a thriving internet ecosystem in 2021-22. We are proud to have launched .au direct, which supports digital innovation and delivers greater value to internet users through .au. I thank our members, Advisory Committees and local and international multi-stakeholder community for their contributions to a productive year.”
Read the auDA 2021-22 Annual Report.
