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Purpose
This Information Standard outlines the requirements for Queensland Government agencies in the management and registration of domain names for agency Internet resources. This standard fits under Mechanisms and Standards within the Enterprise Architecture Representation section of the Government Enterprise Architecture (GEA) Framework.
Policy statement
Consistency of domain names is an important component of the Queensland Government’s online presence. When managed effectively, domain names will promote the authenticity and authority of Government web sites and will improve the accessibility of Government information and services.
Issue and review
This Standard was issued by the Director-General of the Department of Public Works in January 2005. Review of this Standard will occur on an annual basis.
Current Version: V2.01 (Reviewed March 2007)
Implementation
The authority for the implementation of the mandatory principles of the Information Standards is primarily derived from the Financial Management Standard 1997. In addition, the 30 June 2000 Online Council Ministers Meeting endorsed a set of national guidelines for the administration of the .gov.au domain. The guidelines will facilitate management and also provide for consistency in domain name administration across Commonwealth, State and Territory jurisdictions.
The implementation dates for this Standard are:
High-level risk assessment: Completion August 2005
High risk principles implementation: Completion February 2006
Implementation advice and toolboxes are provided to assist agencies in implementing the mandatory principles of each Information Standard.
Implementation advice and toolboxes
The following implementation checkpoints can be used by agencies to assist in implementing the mandatory principles of the standard.
IS39 implementation toolbox
Mandatory principles
Principle 1– Management of domain names
To ensure the public can easily access government information and services, agencies must establish a website in the qld.gov.au domain to facilitate the consistent management of domain names across agencies. When managing all domain names, agencies, at a minimum, must:
Domain name administration for qld.gov.au is managed centrally by AGIMO which has appointed a Registrar, NetRegistry, to provide registration services for gov.au domain names.
Requests for domain names are lodged online via AGIMO, the delegated authority for all gov.au domain name requests. AGIMO then automatically forwards qld.gov.au requests to the qld.gov.au Domain Provider at CITEC, Department of Public Works (DPW), for consideration and approval.
All gov.au domain names are now required to be renewed every two years. An expiry and renewal notice will be sent to all owners of qld.gov.au domain names sixty days prior to the expiry date. Failure to renew the domain name within this time will result in the domain name expiring. A small fee will be payable with each 2-year domain name licence registration and renewal.
Fourth level domain management and associated decision making is the responsibility of individual agencies. This is referring to the management of domains such as transport.qld.gov.au or health.qld.gov.au and their sub-domains.
For more information please contact the qld.gov.au Domain Provider, DPW on 3222 2331 or email dna@qld.gov.au.
The process for applying for a qld.gov.au domain name is outlined in the qld.gov.au Domain Name Registration Process Summary Reference Sheet located in the Domain Names Toolbox.
The nominated delegate will be used as the central contact when DPW verifies that authorisation has been obtained for domain name registrations.
All qld.gov.au requests should be checked for errors or omissions before submission, otherwise requests may be rejected by the Domain Provider leading to processing delays. A detailed explanation of all fields is provided on the electronic form itself, and further information can be accessed on auDa's Frequently Asked Questions page.
Information provided in the AGIMO template will be publicly available on the Internet once the registration request has been processed. The status of an existing domain name can be checked for allocation in the AGIMO registry.
Agencies should review all existing domains and make an assessment as to whether these domains are still required. Agencies are individually responsible for organising any remapping or redirection from old domain names that may be necessary.
Agencies wanting to delete qld.gov.au domain names should advise their nominated delegate and complete the electronic form available from AGIMO.
Unless agencies can demonstrate a compelling need, they should adhere to the qld.gov.au or qld.edu.au domain names and refrain from establishing non-government domain names.
Registration outside qld.gov.au should only occur when:
- redirecting customers to the correct qld.gov.au site; or
- a communication strategy aims to target an international audience; or
- a commercial imperative exists for the site to use other domain extensions; or
- where a collaborative web project exists outside of government (see CUE standard).
Agencies should consider transferring all com, com.au, net, net.au and info.au registrations over to qld.gov.au if the purpose of the site is not within the scope of the above definitions.
Agencies should also consider purchasing equivalent domains in the com, net, org versions of those the agency is already using. It can be used for redirectional purposes and as a risk mitigation strategy assisting the prevention of piracy or other organisations purchasing the domain and promoting inappropriate material.
Advice on developing policies for the management of domains outside of qld.gov.au and qld.edu.au are located in the Domain Names Toolbox.
Principle 2–Naming conventions
A consistent whole-of-Government approach to domain naming conventions will enhance government communication and navigation of government websites. When selecting a domain name, the following applies:
There is a two-step process for appeals regarding qld.gov.au domain names. In the first instance, appeals against decisions regarding qld.gov.au domain name entitlement should be directed to the qld.gov.au Domain Provider, DPW on 3222 2331 or email dna@qld.gov.au.
If unresolved at this level, appeals should then be forwarded to AGIMO as the administrator of the gov.au domain.
Disputes that extend outside of the gov.au domain, for example regarding domain names registered in the .com domain, should refer to the auDA Dispute Resolution Process.
To promote consistency, agencies should consider implementing the electronic mail naming convention of firstname.lastname@agency.qld.gov.au for persons and function@agency.qld.gov.au for functions or services. In the case of multiple identical names, agencies should consider inserting the employees middle initial or another letter after their first name.
Agencies should also consider implementing a whole-of-Government emailing convention in addition to the above naming convention. The whole-of-Government email address will provide portability when staff move between agencies and provide an easier way for the public to communicate with government eliminating the need to understand the structure of government. This convention also provides for the login name to the Smart Service Queensland group of services. The whole-of-Government email address convention is firstname.lastname@qld.gov.au for persons and function@qld.gov.au for functions or services.
For more information on the whole-of-Government emailing convention, agencies should contact GovNet for specific details or refer to the Whole-of-Government E-Mail information page on GovNet.