Should I get the .com.au or the shorter .au?

Both are Australian domains with the same eligibility rules; .com.au is the long-established commercial standard, while the shorter .au direct names arrived in 2022. For most businesses the sensible move is to hold both:

• .com.au - the address Australians instinctively type and trust for a business, and the one to lead with on your branding.
• .au direct - shorter and tidier, but newer and less familiar; useful to own so no one else can take your shorter match.
• Holding both - register the pair and redirect one to the other, so visitors reach you whichever they type and a competitor cannot grab the twin.

Lead with .com.au, but register the matching .au as well so the short version of your name is never someone else’s.