Government Services Minister Stuart Robert has backflipped on claims the MyGov website was subject to a crippling cyberattack which caused it to crash.

The site was overloaded today when thousands of Australians facing unemployment tried to get access and request government payments

Mr Robert claimed in a press conference the website had "suffered a significant server attack this morning".

Government Services Minister Stuart Robert falsley claimed the MyGov website was targeted in a cyberattack. (AAP)

He said it had been the target of a denial of service attack (DDoS), designed to flood the address with users forcing it offline.

However, in Parliament this afternoon Mr Robert admitted that while the DDoS alarm had been triggered, there was "no evidence of a specific attack today".

He told Question Time that 95,000 concurrent users triggered the alarm. The system is designed for 55,000 users.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the government should have been prepared for the influx of visitors to MyGov.

"The fact is that the minister this morning suggested that the site going down was as a result or a cyberattack, but in Parliament he conceded that wasn't the case," Mr Albanese said this afternoon.

"This wasn't a cyberattack, it was an incompetence attack by this government, and this minister."

Long lines have formed at Service Australia offices around Australia (Nine)

Centrelink chaos

Earlier, Mr Robert also addressed the unprecedented demand for Centrelink services which saw lines of people hundreds of metres long.

Mr Robert asked for people intending to claim jobseeker payments to be patient and said the fastest and most efficient way to apply is online, despite the website being offline.

He said claims made in the coming days will be backdated to today, so "no Australian is disadvantaged".

"I understand the frustration people are experience and we are doing everything we can and again, I would reiterate that the intent to claim process means people don't need to wait now, tomorrow they can lodge their intent to claim and that way people will know their claim will be accepted as of today," Mr Robert said.

Hundreds of people, including hospitality workers Anna 30, and Ayreton 28 (centre) affected by the economic consequences of the coronavirus lined up at Centrelink in Victoria Street, Richmond (Chris Hopkins/TheAge)

"The MyGov system will be online tomorrow. They can put it in today or tomorrow and it is back dated to today so no Australians will be disadvantaged."

However, when asked about wait times on the Centrelink phone times, Mr Robert said: "we don't give our running commentary on that".

An extra 5,000 extra staff will be employed to help meet Centrelink demand.

Government websites crashed as workers tried to check what they can claim. (Nine)

Coronavirus lockdown hits employment

The lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus saw pubs, licensed clubs and cinemas all close from midday today.

Gyms and casinos also shut while restaurants and cafes are only allowed to provide takeaway service.

Under the government's $66 billion stimulus package announced yesterday, there will be extra payments for job seekers and low-income earners, as well as cash for small businesses to help them keep workers on.

While Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has urged eligible Australians to claim their $1,100 a fortnight JobSeeker payment online, the government's MyGov portal crashed this morning.

Long queues formed at Sydney offices from Burwood and Bondi Junction to Brookvale and Redfern. (Nine)

Those trying to login were met with an error message.

Many people also opted to go to offices in person today.

Long queues formed at Sydney offices from Burwood and Bondi Junction to Brookvale and Redfern.

There are also lengthy wait times in Melbourne and other offices around the country.

Mr Frydenberg said the government has waived the usual waiting period and the assets test usually in place for payments.

However there is still an income test for claimants.

"People can contact Services Australia, which is effectively Centrelink now," he told Today.

(Nine)

"They will be able to make applications online and obviously if they are going to be able to take what used to be called Newstart, now the JobSeeker payment, that will be made available as quickly as possible.

"What you've got now, for somebody who is unemployed, with this new JobSeeker coronavirus supplement, and the traditional JobSeeker payment, is at least $1100 or more a fortnight.

"That will make its way into people's pockets if they find themselves in that situation.

"So we are very conscious that people need to still meet the cost of their groceries and other bills, even though they might be still down or they might have lost their job or their hours worked have been reduced.