My point is that as far as the new act is concerned, there is not much
difference between phone numbers, IP addrs and domain names.

Real soon now, the ACA will be obliged to manage all three and if we don't
have an organisation to manage domain names within Australia, they will step
in at some future point.

What the future might hold with respect to IP addrs, I have no clue.  It
is hard to see what the ACA might want to do.  But then this discussion
is meant be focussed on the DNS issues.