Anyone can register a .com or .net but there are some rules which govern the registration of Australian Domain Names.

Rules for .com.au and .net.au

To own a .com.au or .net.au you must be an Australian registered company, or business with a registered business number (ABN, BRN, BN).

The licence requirements for a .com.au and .net.au domain name require your business to be registered for business in Australia, this means registering your business or company name with one of the official Government Authorities, eg ASIC, State Dept. of Fair Trading, or alternatively by obtaining an Australian Business Number (ABN) from the ATO.

The domain name you order should have either be an exact match, acronym or abbreviation of the supplied business registration, or it should bear a close and substantial connection to the domain name:

For example, the Ford Motor Company would be reasonably entitled to own:

Domains can be 2 to 63 letters, and words can be separated by hyphens, but not spaces.

Rules for .com, .biz, .net, .info, .org

These domain names are not restricted or regulated by .au Policy Rules. They are therefore policy free and anyone can register any domain name. If you own a company name, or a trademark, register one or all of these domain names to prevent anyone else registering that name.

Rules for a .org.au and .asn.au

To qualify for these domains your organisation must be a "non-commercial organisation".

The domain name you register should have a solid relationship to the organisation to which it represents.

For example, the Salvation Army are reasonably entitled to own:

Rules for an .id.au

Especially designed for individuals, who reside in Australia. You may register ANY personal name by which you are known.

For example, John Howard would be reasonably entitled to own:

www.john-howard.id.au
www.littlejohnny.id.au
www.theprimeminister.id.au