Today’s blog post focuses on the recent announcement from .au Domain Administration (auDA) regarding the introduction of a temporary Disaster Relief Policy, which applies to .au domain name registrants in regions affected by the Australian bushfires. In addition to this, auDA have made a pledge to donate $1 for every .au domain name registered in the month of February 2020 in support of the Appeal.
How the Disaster Relief Policy will be implemented in .au
The bushfires ravaging Australia since September 2019 have been one of the biggest disasters our country has faced. These events have affected communities and wildlife at an unprecedented level, and it will likely take years to recover.
To support .au registrants in fire-affected regions, auDA has announced a temporary Disaster Relief Policy, for fast implementation. This policy grants a 2 month extension on .au domain name renewals and complaints, taking into consideration that many businesses and individuals have been impacted significantly by the fires.
Gaby Facci, Technical Support Team Lead at Afilias Australia explains how the extensions is being implemented by Afilias Australia at a registry level:
“The support team adjusted the expiry dates of .au domain names for registrants who met two conditions. The first was that they had postcodes in the affected areas, and the second was that their domain name was set to expire between 22 January 2020 and 1 March 2020. These registrants and their registrars now have an additional 2 months to renew their domain name.”
Supporting the Australian Bushfire Appeal
To assist with bushfire recovery efforts, auDA will be donating $1 for every .au domain name registered in February 2020. Funds will be donated to the Foundation for Regional and Rural Renewal (FRRR), to help communities recover, and to better prepare for these events going forward.
When the announcement was made last week, auDA predicted that around 40,000 .au domain names would be created in February (judging by the monthly average). If this is the number of new .au domain names registered at the end of the month, auDA’s donation amount will be $40,000.
Many .au registrars, such as Crazy Domains and GoDaddy are also supporting the Appeal by donating an additional portion of .au domain name sales, or — as VentraIP is doing — by contributing proceeds from sales of other products.
Afilias Australia is proud to be able to support this policy on a technical level, and commend auDA for their commitment to the Australian community. Our team is available 24x7 to assist registrars as needed.
Have a question or some feedback? Get in touch today at blog@afilias.com.au