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The short answer
Nothing has changed yet. In August 2026 the board of auDA (.au Domain Administration, the body that runs .au) approved, in principle, removing one route to a .com.au: a name that matches or means the same as a product, service, event, activity or premises you offer. auDA aims to open consultation on draft rules by the end of October 2026. No date is set for any change to take effect.
- Today’s rules still allow every route, including the product-or-service one.
- If your .com.au matches your company, business or personal name, or your trade mark, the proposal leaves that route alone.
- auDA hasn’t said what would happen to existing names that rely on the product-or-service route. It says it will consider transition arrangements, and that there’s “no need to take action yet”.
- You’ll be able to comment once the draft rules are published.
What has auDA actually decided?
Only that it agrees with the idea. At its August 2026 meeting, auDA’s Board approved the recommendations of an external review panel “in principle”, and asked auDA’s staff to prepare an implementation plan. auDA’s own update of 25 September 2026 says plainly that no changes to the rules have been finalised.
The review looked at the .au Licensing Rules, the rulebook for who can hold a .au name. Its Recommendation 2 is the one people are talking about: delete rule 2.4.4(2)(f), the route that lets a business hold a .com.au or .net.au because the name matches, or is a synonym of, something it sells or does. A minority of the panel disagreed and wanted the current rules kept. The majority said removing it would put everyone on a more consistent footing, and keep the “objective and verifiable” routes.
The routes that stay, according to auDA, are a match or acronym of your registered name, a match of your Australian trade mark, and a match or acronym of a related Australian company. The panel’s summary is clear that all the other routes, (a) to (e), are kept; only (f) goes.
Some things in the same package don’t change: .com.au stays for commercial entities with a connection to Australia, holding a domain to earn advertising income (“monetisation”) stays allowed, and the .au direct priority process is untouched. The panel also recommended letting you renew at any time rather than only in the last 90 days, but that’s a separate proposal, and also not in force.
What are the rules for a .com.au today?
Two tests, both still fully in force. You must be an Australian commercial entity, and the name must connect to you in one of the ways the rules list. The same rules cover .net.au.
The first test is who you are. Rule 2.4.4(1) asks for a “Commercial Entity”. That includes a company, a person or business with an ABN (Australian Business Number), a trust with an ABN (not a charitable trust), an incorporated association, a trading co-operative, a government body that trades, and an overseas business, or any person, that holds or has applied for an Australian trade mark.
The second test is the name. Rule 2.4.4(2) lets the domain be:
- (a) a match of your company, business, statutory or personal name, or (b) an acronym of it;
- (c) a match of your Australian trade mark (if the trade mark is your only connection to Australia, rule 2.4.5 says the name must match the mark’s words exactly);
- (d) a match or acronym of a related Australian company’s name;
- (e) a match or acronym of a partnership you’re in or a trust you’re trustee of; or
- (f) a match or synonym of the name of a service you provide, goods you sell, an event you register or sponsor, an activity you run or teach, or premises you operate, that you offer at the time you apply. This is the one proposed for removal.
“Match” is more generous than it sounds. It can use one, some or all of the words in your name, in the same order, with nothing added; “Pty Ltd”, punctuation and small words like “the” are ignored. So Harbour Street Bakery Pty Ltd could hold bakery.com.au as a match of its own name, under (a), without leaning on (f) at all. That matters when you work out whether the proposal touches you.
Is “close and substantial connection” still the rule?
Not in those words. “Close and substantial connection” came from auDA’s old policy for .com.au names, which allowed a name “otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant” (the registrant is whoever holds the licence). That policy only covered names last registered, renewed or transferred before 12 April 2021, and it expired on 11 April 2026.
Today every .com.au sits under the Licensing Rules, which don’t use the phrase for .com.au. The closest thing in them is route (f), the product, service, event, activity or premises route. So when you read that auDA is “removing close and substantial connection”, it’s route (f) people mean.
Would the change affect your .com.au?
Only if your name relies on route (f) and on nothing else. Most names that match the holder’s own business, company or personal name, or trade mark, wouldn’t be touched. Find your row:
| How your .com.au is held today | Would the proposal touch it? | What to do now |
|---|---|---|
| It matches your company name, or some of its words in order | No. That route stays. | Nothing. |
| It matches your registered business name, or your own name as a sole trader | No. That route stays. | Nothing. Keep the business name registration current. |
| It’s an acronym of your name | No. That route stays. | Nothing. |
| It matches your Australian trade mark, or some of its words in order | No. That route stays. | Nothing. Keep the trade mark in force. |
| It matches a related company, a partnership you’re in, or a trust you’re trustee of | No. Those routes stay. | Nothing. |
| It describes what you sell or do, and doesn’t match any of your names or trade marks | Yes. This is the route proposed for removal. | Nothing has to change yet. Keep records that show you offer that service or product, and watch for the consultation. |
| You’re not sure which route it relies on | Possibly | Do the two-minute check below, or ask your provider. |
| It’s a direct .au (yourname.au), not a .com.au | No. Direct .au has no name-connection test like this one. | Nothing. |
The two-minute check
Look up your domain
Search for it on auDA’s WHOIS, the free public lookup for .au names. Note the registrant name and any eligibility name and number it shows, such as a business name or trade mark number.
Compare the domain with those names
Drop the .com.au, “Pty Ltd”, punctuation and small words. If the domain uses one, some or all of the words in that name, in the same order and with nothing added, it’s a match and the proposal doesn’t touch it.
If it doesn’t match, note why you hold it
Write down the product, service, event, activity or premises the name refers to, and keep something that shows you offer it, such as a page on your website or an invoice. That’s useful whatever the final rules say.
This is general information about auDA’s published rules and proposals, not legal advice. For decisions about your business structure, business names or trade marks, talk to a lawyer, your accountant, or the relevant government register.
What would happen to names already registered?
auDA hasn’t said yet, and we won’t guess. Its implementation plan is meant to look at how many registrations, and which kinds, could be affected, and what transition arrangements would be appropriate. Any change is due to come with guidance and transition arrangements. auDA has not said existing names would be exempt, and it has not said they would be cancelled.
Two things auDA has said are worth knowing. First, there’s no current or proposed requirement to hold a business name identical to your domain. Second, once new rules take effect, some holders may need to register a business name, which you do through ASIC (the Australian Securities and Investments Commission). If that ever applies to you, a registered business name that the domain matches would, on the proposal as published, put it on a route that stays. Business name, ABN, domain name and trade mark explains what each one gets you.
How many names would be affected is also unsettled. auDA says the number depends on how the final rules are written, and it hasn’t published one. The figure you may have seen, over a million .com.au names, is an industry estimate. DN Journal reported on 8 September 2026 that David Warmuz, chief executive of the Melbourne tech company Trillion, wrote that over a million .com.au names would need a new business name or trade mark registration. It isn’t an auDA number.
When could the change happen?
Not before a public consultation, and auDA hasn’t set a date for any change to take effect. Its update of 25 September 2026 says it is “aiming to commence consultation by the end of October”. After that, auDA’s Board considers the feedback and finalises the rules.
How can you have a say?
Wait for the draft rules, then read them and comment. auDA says it will publish the draft Licensing Rules and an explanatory guide on its website for public consultation before its Board approves anything. The consultation will appear on auDA’s consultations page, and the background is on the Licensing Rules Review page.
A useful submission is specific. Say how you hold your name today, which route it relies on, what the change would mean for you in practice (a new business name, a new domain, reprinted signs), and what kind of transition would be fair. Facts about your own business carry more weight than general worry.
What does Chill Domains check when you register a .com.au?
We collect your eligibility details at checkout and check their format; the registrar and the .au registry do the real validation, including whether the name connects to you. The current rules, product-or-service route included, apply to every .com.au order until auDA changes them.
At Chill Domains. We’re a reseller: your domain is registered through an auDA- and ICANN-accredited wholesale registrar partner (ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). For a .com.au or .net.au, checkout asks for the registrant name and an ID number, usually an ABN or ACN (Australian Company Number). We check that an ABN has 11 digits and an ACN 9; for a trust, we also run the standard checksum on the trust’s ABN and a company trustee’s ABN or ACN. None of that shows a number is active: your registrar validates your details at registration and again at renewal.
Some .au names go into the registry’s eligibility review before they’re registered, usually when the domain doesn’t exactly match the registrant’s name or registered business name. The reviewers check that the name connects to you, for example through a product or service you offer. If it happens to your order, we email you, the order waits for the review, and if the name isn’t approved we refund your payment in full. You can reply to that email to explain how the name connects to your business. We’ll update this guide as auDA moves, and the dated log below shows each step.
The .com.au page and .net.au page set out today’s rules in full.
What’s happened so far
auDA’s steps so far, newest last. We add each new one as it happens. As at the “Last reviewed” date at the top of this page, no consultation on draft rules has opened.
- September 2025: auDA’s Board appoints an external Policy Advisory Panel to review the .au Licensing Rules.
- 24 November 2025 to 31 March 2026: public written submissions to the panel.
- June to July 2026: auDA seeks feedback on the panel’s draft report.
- August 2026: the Board approves the final report’s recommendations in principle, including removing rule 2.4.4(2)(f), and asks auDA’s staff for an implementation plan.
- 6 September 2026: auDA announces the outcome.
- 25 September 2026: auDA’s update: no changes finalised; aiming to open consultation by the end of October.
Questions people ask
Do I need to do anything about my .com.au right now?
Will I lose my .com.au if it describes what I sell rather than my business name?
Will I need a registered business name to keep a .com.au?
Can I still register a .com.au based on a product or service today?
Does the proposal affect .net.au and direct .au names?
Is the ABN check at renewal part of this change?
Will Chill Domains keep this guide up to date?
Terms in this guide
- auDA
- .au Domain Administration, the not-for-profit body that sets the rules for .au names.
- Licence
- What you hold when you register a .au domain: the right to use the name for a set period.
- Eligibility
- The rules about who may hold a particular ending. A .com.au needs an Australian commercial entity, and a name that connects to it.
- Registrant
- The person or organisation a domain is registered to: the holder of the licence.
- Registrar
- A company accredited to add, change and renew names in a registry.
- Reseller
- A business that sells and supports domains through an accredited registrar, without being a registrar itself.
- Second-level domain
- The part of a .au ending before .au, such as com in .com.au. Each has its own rules.
- WHOIS
- The public lookup that shows who holds a domain. For .au names it includes the registrant and usually an ABN, ACN or other eligibility number.
Every term, in full, is in the glossary.
Sources
All read on 14 October 2026.
- .au Licensing Rules Review (2025) (auDA): the review timeline, the Board’s in-principle approval, the routes that stay, timeframes not finalised, no need to act yet, existing registrations and transition, business names, and how consultation will work.
- .au Licensing Rules Review recommendations: status and next steps (auDA, 25 September 2026): nothing finalised, the consultation target, transition arrangements, and no requirement for an identical business name.
- .au Licensing Rules Review completed by external Policy Advisory Panel (auDA, 6 September 2026): the announcement of the outcome.
- Summary of recommendations in the Final Report (auDA): Recommendation 2 and the minority view, monetisation, renewal at any time, and help for retirees; with the full Final Report.
- .au Domain Administration Rules: Licensing (auDA, current version approved June 2026): who can hold a .com.au or .net.au and which names (2.4.4, 2.4.5), the definitions of Commercial Entity, Match, Synonym and Acronym (1.4), and .au direct (2.4.3).
- Domain Name Eligibility and Allocation Policy Rules for the Open 2LDs (2012-04) (auDA, archived): where “close and substantial connection” came from, which names it covered, and its expiry on 11 April 2026.
- com.au domain names (auDA): who .com.au is for, in plain words.
- Consultations (auDA): no consultation on draft rules open as at 14 October 2026.
- Domain Name Lowdown, 8 September 2026 (DN Journal): the industry estimate attributed to Trillion’s chief executive.
Keep reading
- .com.au vs .au vs .com: which ending suits you, and what each one asks of you.
- Business name, ABN, domain name, trade mark: what each one gets you, and the order to do them in.
- Will your .com.au renew? The ABN check: the rule that applies now, at every renewal.
- Holding a domain without an ABN: the options when you don’t have one.
- How a change of registrant works for a .com.au: putting the name in a different entity’s name.
- Do you need the .au as well? The direct .au is a separate licence with no name-connection test.