Centrelink Queues Stretch Around The Block After MyGov Website Crashes
"Pretty cool that in two thousand and twenty you have to physically queue with a million of your fellow virulent patriots to get Centrelink in a pandemic."
UPDATE 2:30PM:
After earlier blaming hackers for causing the MyGov website to crash, Government Services Minister Stuart Robert has backtracked saying there was no evidence of that.
Mr Roberts told Question Time the huge number of people logging on today (which, really, they should have seen coming) mirrored an attack which set off alarms.
UPDATE 2PM:
The government now claims the MyGov website was hit by a DDoS hacker attack this morning which caused the website to crash.
A DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack is where hackers overload a website by flooding it with traffic until it’s overwhelmed and shuts down.
Government Services Minister Stuart Robert acknowledged there was an increased demand for MyGov, but also blamed hackers for sending the website under.
“More than 55,000 Australians [were] trying to access [the site] at the same time, as well as the issue we had with the denial of service attack,” he said.
EARLIER:
As thousand of Australians suddenly face the prospect of being forced onto Centrelink during the coronavirus pandemic, the MyGov website which provides online access to the service crashed due to “unprecedented demand”.
Well of course it friggin has
— ÅSHTöN (@getmeashton) March 22, 2020
Photos also show huge lines of people forced to queue up outside some Centrelink offices this morning in a great display of social distancing.
“There is unprecedented demand for the service right now, but Australians need to be patient. Try logging on later today or even tomorrow,” Minister for Government Services Stuart Robert told the AAP.
It is a shit show at the best of times. Heads should literally roll for this
— Paul Rebec (@PaulRebec) March 22, 2020
It’s almost as if the last 20 years the government spent dismantling our social security network and making it harder to apply was a bad idea.
— Aaron Z (@aaronzig32) March 23, 2020
How did the government not expect this? Havent they ever bought tickets to Splendour?
— Mark Salvatore (@marksalvatore__) March 22, 2020
Over the weekend the government announced the closure of all non-essential services including bars, clubs and gyms, leaving thousands of people without work.
They’ve since announced Centrelink will provide additional support to people affected, with a new coronavirus supplement giving welfare recipients (including those on Youth Allowance and the Jobseeker Payment) an extra $550 a fortnight.
That $550 will be paid on top of the existing allowance for all new and existing recipients for the next six months.
This is the line for Centrelink in Moreland Road, Brunswick. There is zero physical distancing (except at the end) and only one person I saw was wearing a mask. The line goes around the corner. pic.twitter.com/qCrjtfDVGY
— Karen Sweeney (@karenlsweeney) March 22, 2020
The line to Centrelink Bondi Junction. It wraps around almost every corner of the block. @9NewsSyd #COVID19Aus #centrelink pic.twitter.com/tyCsuxwb6R
— Hannah Sinclair (@hansinclair9) March 22, 2020
Centrelink Canberra. Never seen this before. Spare a thought for our fellow Aussies no matter the background. Starting to be reminiscent of my dad’s stories of queues in the Great Depression. Let’s stick together Australia. Let’s run this place as if everyone matters. #ForAllOfUs pic.twitter.com/IL8IW9E7Eq
— Patrick O'Leary (@PadYeo) March 22, 2020
My friend works in film so there is no work at the moment. He is applying for Centrelink for the first time but getting a number has to be done in person. This is Burwood this morning. The public service is essential. #COVID19Aus pic.twitter.com/egUvCYQYqm
— Cinzia Myatt (@cinziamyatt) March 22, 2020
Pretty cool that in two thousand and twenty you have to physically queue with a million of your fellow virulent patriots to get Centrelink in a pandemic
— Endrey (@ChrisEndrey) March 22, 2020