Australia’s internet is managed through Australian law, policies and global coordination. The provision of .au domain names is increasingly essential to the nation’s economic and social development. These names are supplied by the .au Domain Administration, auDA.

Internet governance, both locally and globally, is facilitated by the multi-stakeholder model. This is the development and application by governments, the private sector, and civil society, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures. This helps shape the evolution and use of the Internet to be fundamentally open, free and secure. The multi-stakeholder model is supported by the Australian Government.

The Department oversees Australia’s liaison with international groups charged with managing the Internet, such as ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which maintains the Domain Name System (DNS), which translates website names into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, making it easier for users to find what they need on the Internet.