About CGDNs
There are now geographical website addresses available for licensing for every suburb and town in Australia (except capital cities).
 | Listen to Leonie Parkinson (General Manager, auCD) talk about the CGDN initiative on ABC Victoria statewide radio, 21/01/08 (MP3 file, 8,666KB) |
CGDN Fact Sheet (PDF 217KB)
What is a Community Geographic Domain Name (CGDN)?
An easy-to-remember intuitive locality based website address by combining your town or suburbs name with your state or territory, for example: www.koonwarra.vic.au, www.kenilworth.qld.au To see all current CGDN websites click here.
See Policy 1 for more details.
What can the CGDN licence be used for?
The licence is solely for the purpose of operating a community website developed for the benefit of the entire local community. The website should include all interests within the local community. As a guideline, website content should include but is not limited to: community events, local business directory, community directory, general information about the community, local news and a community feedback facility. See Policy 3 for more details.
What are the benefits of a CGDN?
- It is the easiest way for your community to be found on the internet through the website address itself.
- A CGDN community website is one that truly represents your community due to the Policy Rules and Guidelines in place to preserve the names for use by the relevant community.
- Provides a communication tool to help foster and develop stronger communities by promoting local economic activity and participation in social, cultural, learning and civic activities. CGDN website groups can utilise this communication tool to springboard initiatives and engage the community
- Provides a "community of communities" that can share experiences and the ability to communicate with each other.
Who can apply for a CGDN?
Any community group which is a not-for-profit legal entity or a specail committe of local council and broadly representative of the local community. See Policy 2 for more details.
What does a CGDN licence cost?
A two year licence fee will cost between $164 and $198 (inc GST) depending on which registrar you choose after your licence application is approved by .au Community Domains (auCD). See here for more details.
What services does auCD provide community groups?
auCD is a not-for-profit organisation that was set up by the .au Domain Administrators to facilitate the development of the CGDNs as well as processing the applications. In addition to helping community groups gather and develop all the necessary eligibility requirements for a successful application, they also provide at no cost:
- Promotion of their community website and any ongoing initiatives, via the media, auCD website and e-newsletters to the community of subscribers of auCD news
- A forum for communities to share their experiences and develop best practice - click here to get involved
- An on-line “how to kit” – including information/assistance on forming a Community Website Group, forming a not-for-profit organisation, website development, community consultation, launch & marketing and sustainability – Click here for more details
The pilot study for the CGDN initiative indicated that some community groups may not have the technical skills to design and build their own community websites. auCD has developed an optional cost-effective, self managed community website content management system (Community Site in a Box) for those communities who do not feel comfortable designing and building their own and provide on-going unlimited help to all users.
What does the Community Site in a Box provide?
- selection of templates that the user can edit to change background images, fonts and colours - as well as the ability to create their own styles.
- content management system to add, edit or delete sections, pages, text, documents and images.
- functions such as news, events, contact us, search and site map.
- for issuing of unlimited individual geographic local email addresses to your community via the website.
- directories that are re-nameable and an integrated business directory that is powered by localised Sensis yellow.com.au.
- statistics on web use.
- allowance for sponsor ads.
- hosting.
- On-going unlimited help/support.
- No limit to the size of your website content
