Overview

The .au direct Priority Allocation Period ran from 24 March 2022 to 20 September 2022 and provided registrants who held a .au domain name registered before the launch of .au direct, priority to apply for the .au direct match of their existing domain name.

For example, the existing registrant of domainname.com.au could apply for domainname.au through the Priority Allocation Process, if they wished to do so. Here is a link to our Blog article we wrote prior to the launch of the .au direct domain release.

Can I still apply for priority on my existing domain?

The Priority Allocation Period concluded on 20 September 2022. New priority applications will not be accepted however if the .au you wish to register has not yet been registered, you can do this by following this article.

What if there were multiple applications for the same .au domain during the Priority Allocation Period?

If two or more parties applied for priority for the same .au direct domain name during the priority period (e.g. the registrant who holds domainname.com.au and another registrant who holds domainname.net.au both seek to register domainname.au), the domain name is referred to as a contested name. The contested name will remain on priority hold until the applicants come to an agreement as to who will be allocated the name.

You can use the Priority Status Tool to see if there are any active priority applications associated with a contested .au direct domain name. If you have registered your domain with Conetix, our domains team would have already provided you with your priority status.

How do I resolve the contention status?

  • All applicants can negotiate among themselves; trying to reach an agreement on who will get the new .au Direct domain.
  • If an agreement has not been reached, all parties must renew their application at their domain registrars, if they wish to keep their interests active.
  • Applications are renewable on an annual basis until 1 party remains.
  • When 1 party remains, the .au Direct domain is allocated/registered for 1 year within 24 hours.

Information

Note: All application fees are non-refundable

Applicants can contact each other via publicly available registrant email address information, which can be found in the WHOIS database.

Please be aware that Conetix is not able to negotiate with the other registrant on your behalf.

The domain I applied for is showing as being Contested and on Priority Hold – what do I do?

If you wish for your .au domain application to remain ongoing or until competing applicants withdraw their applications you need to pay the yearly renewal of $15. If you do not renew your application or remain eligible to hold the application, it will lapse.

Annual renewal indicates your continued interest in the contested .au direct domain name. Eligibility will be validated at the time of renewal. An annual renewal fee is applicable to support the validation process and must be paid and receipted by Conetix prior to the renewal date.

Withdrawing an Application

Applicants that wish to withdraw their Contested Domain Application must reach out to Conetix to withdraw the application to prevent automatic renewal.

Information

If you have any further questions please feel free to reach out to our support team here

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