Obviously there is some tension between auDA and the
rest of the industry as to how to develop the au
namespace here are my thoughts in moving forward

.com.au
1. Abolish the requirements for registrations. I
actually agree with Vic on this one. The advantages
far outweigh the disadvantages. This will allow the
average joe to participate in the com.au namespace.
The only requirement I would apply is that the
Registrant is an Australian resident or business. 

2.Reduce the cost of domains. Actually I don't think
$49 for 2 years is a lot of money. In fact this
equates to $25 per annum. After all .coms start at
about $10 AUD per annum. If more domains are being
registered I don't see why auDA's fees should not come
down.

3. Abolish the 2 year registration period. Perception
is everything and com.au are perceived as expensive
because people don't realise the fee is for 2 years.
If you market a .com.au at $15 then you are more
likely to get a sale. I don't know about you guys but
2 years seems to come around pretty quick and I would
rather just register a 5 or 10 year period and not
worry about forgetting to renew.

4. Develop a secondary market. I am 50/50 on this one
however I am sure one exists now. If people think they
can buy a domain and onsell it for a profit then
obviously sales will go up. The auDRP is still in
place for those whom will try to take advantage of
this by squatting domains however I would suggest that
auDA be allowed to exercise its powers prior to auDRP
as this is an expensive option.

5. Spend more money on promoting the .com.au
namespace. By this I mean things like free redirectors
and other value add ons.

Result is more registrations and more profits for
everyone.

.au
This one while I can see its potential I also have
reservations. I for one have invested a lot of time
and money in developing my brands in the .com.au
namespace. I feel that adding a .au into the mix will
only dilute peoples trust in the com.au namespace and
thereby devalue it. 
Over the years I have seen a healthy uptake in com.au
in fact it is not possible to switch on the TV, read a
magazine or just drive your car without seeing
someones domain advertised (Vic look out your window).
IMHO I think most existing com.au holders will be
against it unless they get first pick. But as was
stated what about the .net.au holders.

id.au didn't work (I still have mine). geographical is
in the pipeline (.nsw.au etc) how many more can there
be? 

I think sort out the .com.au problems first.

DJ

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