Changes to edu.au governance and policies
As a result of reforms to the .au Domain Administration (auDA) constitution and corporate policies in conjunction with the recommendations of the most recent Policy Review Panel, the .edu.au Domain Administration Committee (eDAC) has been replaced by the .edu.au Advisory Committee (eAC), and the standalone edu.au published policies have been incorporated into a single set of licensing rules for the .au name space as a whole, effective 12 April 2021.
This page covers the following:
1. Current Policy
2. Legacy Policies
3. Policy Changes and Mapping
Current Policy
- Applies to all new domain name applications and registrations.
- Applies to existing registrations from the first renewal period that commences on or after 12 April 2021.
This policy was adopted by the auDA Board on 10 November 2020. This was as a result of the recommendations made by the
2017 Policy Review Panel and feedback from the
.au Licensing Rules and .au Namespace Implementation Policy Consultation conducted by auDA in October 2019.
Legacy Policies
- Applies to existing domains where the current licence/renewal period commenced before 12 April 2021.
These policies were originally adopted on 1 July 2015 as a result of the
2014-15 Public Review of the edu.au Domain's Governance Arrangements and Eligibility and Allocation Policies.
Policy Changes and Mapping
The below details how the existing .edu.au policies correspond to the new policy, and provides a summary of any key changes to the operation or administration of the edu.au name space and its child zones as a result.
Please note that this is specifically in reference to the existing .edu.au policies, and that the new .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing contain broader terms and conditions that apply to all .au domain name licence holders that registrants will need to agree to.
For an overview of the general changes, and an explanatory guide, please see the
auDA Media Release.
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2016-02 Registration (eligibility and allocation)
- To be replaced by Schedule A of the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing
The contents of Schedule A represents no material changes to the eligibility and allocations criteria present in the existing Registration policy, rather are primarily a change in format and language to be better aligned with the broader licensing rules for the .au namespace as a whole.
Three changes of note, however, are that licences may now be granted for a period of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years (as opposed to only 2 years currently)*, the provisions afforded to Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to meet the criteria for a third level domain name having been extended to other eligibility categories to reduce the need for accredited entities to complete warranty and reference forms where possible, and any request to correct registrant information (i.e. the licence holder) must now be made within 14 calendar days of the licence being recorded in the registry.
Given the final point, we recommend that registrant's review the details against their domain via
the registry's WHOIS lookup and submit any backdated corrections prior to the new policy taking effect.
*While the current policy restrictions preventing variable licence periods will be lifted on 12 April 2021, its implementation for and impact on the edu.au domain is still currently under review, and it may not be available in the management console until a later date.
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2015-02 Pricing
- This policy is to be rescinded.
The general principles and processes in the Pricing policy are to be incorporated into the operations of the Registrar, Education Services Australia (ESA), under its remit as a national not-for-profit company owned by the state, territory and Australian Government education ministers, tasked with providing sustainable, cost-efficient products and services for the needs of the education and training sector.
The edu.au Advisory Committee will also continue to have the ability to review the registrar arrangements for the .edu.au name space.
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2015-03 Policy change process
- To be replaced by Section 4.2 of the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing
↳ Amendment to the auDA Rules and Licence Terms and Conditions
The contents of this section continues the requirement that education bodies and the .edu.au Registrar be consulted regarding changes to the eligibility and allocation criteria for the edu.au name space.
Aligning with the consultation model adopted by the .edu.au Domain Administration Committee for the 2014-15 Public Review, the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing will be subject to auDA's
Process for the Development and Review of Policies, in addition to the terms of reference for the edu.au Advisory Committee including it providing advice and recommendations to the auDA Board on changes to auDA published policies to ensure the continued utility and sustainability of the edu.au domain for its registrants and stakeholders.
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2015-04 Creation of new child zones
- This policy is to be rescinded.
While considered, neither the 2014-15 Public Review nor the 2017 Policy Review Panel identified any additional child zones that should be created within the edu.au name space.
auDA maintains the authority to create new child zones or reserve names for potential future second level domains in the .au name space, however these would be considered as part of future Policy Review Panels or recommendations from auDA's Advisory Committees (including the edu.au Advisory Committee) for approval by the auDA board as opposed to the current standalone process administered solely by the .edu.au Domain Administration Committee.
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2015-05 Unauthorised registries
- To be replaced by Sections 2.11 of the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing
↳ Registrant Obligations - Sub-domains and Third Party Use
Under the Registrant Obligations, a registrant may not rent, lease, sub-licence or permit the use of their domain name licence by another entity, including (for the edu.au namespace and the edu.au child zones) where that entity is a related body corporate. This condition effectively prohibits the operation of unauthorised registries, and where a registrant is found to have created sub-domains under their licence that contravenes this, the associated domain name may be suspended or cancelled.
The compliance and migration planning processes detailed in the existing policy for when such an unauthorised registry is identified, are to be incorporated into the operations of the Registrar.
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2015-06 Privacy
- To be replaced by Sections 2.9 of the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing
↳ Collection, Use And Disclosure
The general principles regarding the collection, use and disclosure of information provided to the Registrar to facilitate the registration and administration of the domain name licence remain the same. In addition, edu.au registrant should be aware of the
Education Services Australia Privacy Policy regarding the use of the https://www.domainname.edu.au website and associated services which applies alongside both that of the existing policy and the new policy.
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2015-07 Complaints
- To be replaced by Part 3 of the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing
↳ Complaints
The process for complaint handling remains similar. Where a complaint is within the scope of the obligations of either a registrant or the Registrar, the complaint must first be lodged with the Registrar for review, and a decision or resolution.
The primary changes relate to the escalation process where a complainant is not satisfied with the response received from the Registrar. Under the new policy a complaint is escalated to auDA (who would consult with the edu.au Advisory Committee if required), as opposed to being referred to the .edu.au Domain Administration Committee directly.
Registrants should also note that auDA has specified timeframes within the process in the new policy, both on the responses from the Registrar and auDA, and also for the allowed lodgement period for complaints to be escalated to auDA.
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2015-08 Transfers (change of registrant)
- To be replaced by Section 2.13 of the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing
↳ Licence Transfers
The new policy results in two key changes to the transfer process for edu.au domain names.
Under the current policy the nature or reason for the transfer must meet one of a number of predefined, allowed circumstances in addition to both the existing registrant and the proposed new registrant meeting the eligibility and allocation criteria at the time of transfer. The new policy is only concerned with the existing registrant and the proposed new registrant meeting the eligibility and allocation criteria at the time of transfer, removing the need for the parties requesting the transfer to provide documentary evidence of the circumstances.
The second change requires that a registrant must request a transfer of the licence within 28 calendar days from the date that a contract or agreement for the transfer of the licence is entered into by the parties, unless that contract or agreement specifies otherwise. This has the effect of rescinding current auDA provisions allowing backdated transfers to be processed.
Given the above, we recommend that registrant's review the details against their domain via
the registry's WHOIS lookup and submit any outstanding, backdated transfer requests that are still outstanding prior to the new policy taking effect.
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2015-09 Mandatory terms and conditions
The general principles relating to the registrant's or licence holder's obligations and use of their domain name have been incorporated in to the edu.au Registrant Agreement and will continue to apply, in addition to or as an extension of those contained within the .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing.
