Internet Society of Australia
A Chapter of the Internet Society
ABN 36 076 406 801
NEWS RELEASE Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) 2001/05 The Internet is for Everyone! 13 July 2001 NEW COMPETITION REGIME FOR AUSTRALIAN DOMAIN NAMES 'Australia is on the verge of a new competitive regime for delivery of domain name services following more than two years of work', Mr Tony Hill, Executive Director of the Internet Society said today. 'ISOC-AU welcomes adoption of the Competition Report by the auDA board because domain names are essential to effective participation in the information society. 'For many years, it has been obvious that the current delivery of domain names through commercial monopolies and volunteer effort is not keeping up with the impressive growth of demand by business and private Internet users. 'We congratulate those individuals who have made substantial contributions to development of the valuable .au domain name space that provides Australians with their own corner of the Internet. 'Now we have the opportunity to move to a competitive regime that will deliver increased services to .au domain name holders and applicants at the same time as reducing prices for .com.au names', Mr Hill said. A major initiative in the report is the recommendation for the introduction of competition in the provision of services by registrars and resellers. 'By providing competition at the point where domain name users obtain their .au names, the whole community stands to benefit', Mr Hill said. 'ISOC-AU urges auDA to implement the proposed competition regime for registrars as soon as possible in the interests of Internet users and Australia generally. 'The previous adoption of recommendations by the Names Panel Report by the auDA Board has provided a solid basis for implementation of the Competition Panel's recommendations. 'We encourage all Australians to register an appropriate domain names as a mechanism of establishing their identity on the Internet as provider of information as well as a receiver. The Internet provides people with an unparalleled means for disseminating information globally, and domain names are the key to this. 'I look forward to the day that all Australians can proudly display their family photo album or business credentials under their own .au domain name and the new competition regime will help that vision to become a reality', Mr Hill said. 'We will be watching closely to see that the proposed tender for registry services actually delivers community benefit and is conducted to high standards of probity and pubic accountability and we look forward to participating in that process.' Contact: Mr Tony Hill, 0412 128 755, ed@isoc-au.org.au