NSW Government Department of Education issues their primary and secondary
schools domain names at the fifth level under schools.nsw.edu.au - e.g.:

  http://www.rainbowst-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/
  http://www.randwickb-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/

So one payment of $50 per year for schools.nsw.edu.au covers all the domain
names for approximately 2,200 schools - which is pretty cost effective from
the Department of Education's perspective.

The downside of this trade-off is a fifth level domain name that's not
exactly "easy to remember".


But the Department's schools have other options, which some of them have
chosen to implement:

* Register a domain name at the fourth level under nsw.edu.au and use that
name.

* Register a domain name at the third level under com.au or net.au and use
that name - even NSW Public schools are commercial entities, in that they
provide services such as renting out premises to other organisations, etc,
and therefore would meet the criteria for com.au and net.au  (and probably
they meet the existing criteria for org.au).

* Register a domain name at the second level under a gTLD and use that name.




Regards, Mark

Mark Hughes
Effective Business Applications Pty Ltd
+61 4 1374 3959
www.pplications.com.au
effectivebusiness§applications.com.au




-----Original Message-----
From: magic2147§optushome.com.au [mailto:magic2147§optushome.com.au]
Sent: Friday, 30 April 2004 10:05 AM
To: dns§dotau.org
Subject: [DNS] More overpriced .au domains


The Principal of my daughter's school has received this:

> From:
> To:
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 2:09 PM
> Subject: All Independent Schools - Heads - 4/27/2004 12:23:33 PM
>
>
>
> Dear
>
> Important Information about changes to the management of edu.au domain
> names
>
> >From May 6th 2004 holders of edu.au domain names will be required to
> register their domain every two years. Registration will attract a $100
> fee.
>
> Background
> As a result of changes to the management of AU domain, the Education
> Domain Advisory Committee (eDAC) was established 2001 to oversee policy
> and administration of the edu.au domain name space in relation to
> Australian education and training internet addresses. At that time, it was
> decided that the edu.au domain should remain closed and controlled by the
> education community, and as it had a very limited policy, representatives
> of each system and sector were called upon to develop appropriate policy.
>
> As part of the process, the decision was made to have Education.au take
> over responsibility for the edu.au registry from AUNIC. The registry is
> the online database of Australian education domain names. In order to fund
> the management of the registry, it was concluded that, after a grace
> period, edu.au domain names would attract a registration fee, renewable
> every two years. During the initial one year phase-in period, the running
> costs were met by the States and Commonwealth.
>
> Domain name renewal notices will be sent to the holders of edu.au domain
> names by using the email addresses available in the contact details
> registered with the domain. Reminders will be sent at pre-determined
> intervals and if renewal is not carried out, domains will be suspended.
>
>
> Action required re accuracy of domain name contact information
> Given that individual independent schools commenced registration of
> domains from 1995, it is highly possible that the contact details and
> contact email address have become out of date.
>
> This has the potential to cause domain renewal notice emails to fail,
> meaning that the school domain could ultimately be suspended.
>
> Recommendation:
> If your school has an edu.au domain name, it is important that admin
> contact details are brought up to date.
>
> Details can be updated in the education domain name website at:
> http://www.domainname.edu.au
>
> Accessing your school details will require a password.
>
> Contact Education.au (08) 8334 3245 in order to obtain a password to
> update your domain name contact details as soon as possible.
>
> Further information can be found at:
> http://www.domainname.edu.au/registrar/page1022.html

Quite why a .edu.au domain should be charged at $50 per annum is a mystery.
I just
renewed some .za, .nz, .uk, and .il domains and not one cost more than $30
per
annum and at least two were done through a "monopoly" but not-for-profit
registry/registrar.

Somebody is doing very well out of this - just like the rip off merchants at
auDA/Ausregistry

cb



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