From the CEO: building momentum at auDA in 2026

Welcome to 2026. Last year was a meaningful year at auDA, a highlight of which was the launch of our new 2026-30 Strategy. This year, we look forward to marking a significant .au milestone, working to deliver our strategic objectives under the Strategy and ensuring .au remains fit for purpose through the .au Licensing Rules Review. Read on to learn about some of the highlights for auDA in the year ahead.

2026 holds special significance for auDA as we mark the 40th anniversary of .au. In 1986 the .au domain was created. At that time, .au was run by Robert Elz who worked at the University of Melbourne. Robert delegated the administration of the com.au second level namespace to Melbourne IT, which was a subsidiary of the University, in around 1996. I joined Melbourne IT a few years later in 1999 where I was responsible for improving the infrastructure for .com.au registrations.

Since that time, I’ve seen the impact .au has made, serving as a trusted online identifier for Australian internet users. As society’s reliance on the internet has grown, the .au has grown with it. Four decades since its creation, .au now supports more than 4.3 million .au domain names, helping to underpin Australia’s digital economy and society.

auDA received endorsement from the Federal Government to administer .au in 2001, and subsequently the delegation to manage .au was transferred from Robert Elz to auDA by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2001. We are proud to have delivered a trusted and secure .au for the benefit of all Australians since then.

The benefits .au brings would not be possible without the contributions of auDA’s members and from auDA staff and Directors past and present. Thank you for your continued support.

auDA’s 2026-30 Strategy came into effect in July last year. Throughout 2026, the auDA team will continue its work guided by our strategy. Below I provide an overview of key priorities we will focus on this year.

As operators of critical Australian infrastructure, auDA consistently works to strengthen trust in auDA and .au. In 2026, we continue to uplift security in .au, including by exploring automation to improve the integrity of .au domain name registrations. This year, we also look forward to growing engagement among .au members. In the coming weeks, we’ll share key findings from our 2025 .au member survey. Insights from the survey will help us refine the .au member offering to ensure it continues to deliver value. One area we’re focused on this year is to provide members more opportunities to engage with and provide input to .au. Learn more about the .au membership program and if you’re new to auDA, I encourage you to sign up and get involved.

This year, auDA will build our research and development capabilities. In November 2025, we began recruitment to appoint a Research & Development Director who will play a pivotal role delivering auDA’s Innovation strategic pillar. The successful candidate, once on board, will explore new solutions to build value for .au registrants and tools to enhance internal productivity. Through these initiatives, we aim to reinforce auDA’s long term financial sustainability and improve the utility of .au. The auDA team is also working to develop new resources to support small businesses to innovate their online presence by using .au websites and email addresses.

auDA is committed to developing the next generation of Australian internet governance and DNS experts. That’s why next month we will host our second Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy (APIGA) Australia program. The three-day program will engage 40 young minds, preparing them to contribute to the future of the internet. I look forward to meeting the participants and supporting them on this journey.

In February, we will announce the 15 successful recipients of auDA’s 2025 Community Grant Program. The program funds community, education and research projects that deliver value through the internet by enhancing digital inclusion for five priority groups of Australians. This is one way we support underserved communities online. We invite .au members and stakeholders to join us for this announcement in Melbourne to learn how the projects will contribute a lasting impact to the community. More information is available on the auDA website.

In today’s technically and geopolitically dynamic environment, we are focused on ensuring auDA remains nimble and resilient, with leadership and technical skills to match. In 2025, we began a leadership program to upskill established and emerging leaders within auDA, which will continue into 2026. All auDA staff have also received introductory Artificial Intelligence (AI) training, and this year we will explore ways to further harness AI to enhance productivity and efficiency in key areas.

In 2025, the auDA Board appointed an external Policy Advisory Panel to conduct a periodic review of the .au Licensing Rules to ensure they remain effective and continue to meet community needs. The Panel’s multi-stakeholder consultation on potential changes to the rules began last year and will continue over the coming months with the final report due to auDA in July 2026.

You can make a submission on the .au Licensing Rules by 31 March 2026. The Panel will also conduct a number of in-person and online events to seek community input which will be published on the auDA events page.

Finally, I’d like to extend my thanks to the auDA members, staff and Board and members of the .au domain name industry for your support during my first year in the role of CEO, and in welcoming new auDA Chair, Marina Go, who commenced last November. Collectively, we have made strong progress to uphold a secure, trusted and reliable .au. I look forward to building on our work together in 2026, ensuring .au continues to benefit all Australians, just as it has for the last four decades.