>in reply to Geoffs comment

Oh I see, so instead of saying no to something or justifying a decision or
offering an appeal
you just push it under the carpet? That does not seem to be particularly fair.

>It all depends Matthew - If you can read the edu.au policy and your
>application
>fits clearly within the policy then it normally takes a couple of minutes
>to a day or so. If you want a vanity plate of your favourite food.edu.au
>then you may
>find that the process takes some time - oddly enough.

Vanity plate?

The policy on the aunic site states the following.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The policy of registration within this domain is to register names directly
in edu.au to nationally significant bodies which operate within the
educational domain. Names should conform to the named entity, or a logical
abbreviation. In addition a third level of State-based named (of the form
state.edu.au) is used to register educational institutions such as schools
and TAFE colleges which operate within a State's domain.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I have a client that is well respected in its field, has been opperating
for twenty years and has activities identical to other bodies with an
edu.au domains. However it seems to have been swept under this "carpet".

Why?  Well I don't know because there is no accountability. I have had no
response and as far as I can tell there is no appeal. Could it be perhaps
because the colour on their site clashes or because I had a spelling
mistake in the form (and that is just not on for an edu.au domain) or is it
because the price of kippers in Spain has risen......

When you have out of date policies there will be problems if there is no
mechanism for either change or appeal.

I am not saying that dedicated people have not worked long and hard to
develop the Internet in Australia, far from it (in particular I refer to
guys like Geoff and Robert). However times have changed. One persons
"arbitary judgement" is not acceptable in this day and age. My comments are
but a mirror of other changes sweeping Australia. Monarchy vs Democracy,
freedom of information vs the power of beaucracy (if you live in NSW) and
in a more pertinent example the creation of auDA

I may add that "policy" should never be graven in stone. I feel that the
current policies that guide the entire .au domain are not in step with what
the Internet is today and what it is developing into in the future.

>>Perhaps it is time for a spring clean. And thats not even keeping in mind
>>the parochial/academic policy still governing the com.au domains...

>??? Are you feeling ok?

I feel fine thank you. However we all know the academic/beaucratic
background of the Internet in Australia. And we all know that this has
affected the creation of various policies. (And if you are a fan of systems
theory you will know that the initial conditions are crucial to the
development of the system as a whole.)

The following polices all have their roots in an academic/beaucratic
background:

No buying and selling of domain names
The denial of registration of generic names
One name per legal entity
Community standards
No place names
and decisions based upon personal judgements with no recourse to appeal.

I could spend an age on each of these. All I will say is the current system
has to change. It has to be more accountable and it has to be freeer.

If changing the policy gets even one product or person on line that would
not be there otherwise then change is worth it.  Goodness knows how many
interesting sites (that could have a global focus) have been stymied
because the local name was too generic.

"Oh you want an easy to remember brand name to help funnel millions of
people to your online shop, one that employs hundreds of Australians and
pushes the limits of technology? Oh sorry  that's too generic. Could you
perhaps try a combination of two words?"

Policy needs to change.

Matthew King

CreativeInformation
Internet design, hosting and services.
Tel:	61 02 9460 6656
Fax:	61 02 9460 6657
Mobile:	61 0411 303090
Email: mking§cinfo.com.au
http://www.cinfo.com.au