Australia's first online census was shut down today after a cyber attack.

The website was deliberately overloaded, authorities said, to stop the service from working.

Australian Minister for Small Business, Michael McCormack said data was never compromised.

"This was not an attack, nor was it a hack, it was an attempt to frustrate the collection of data, an attempt to frustrate the collection of data. People should feel, rest assured, that their data is safe. The census is a very important document to help with government decisions and I strongly encourage people to participate in the census when the site goes back online."

Concerns about data security were widespread when it was decided to put the census online.

The census provides a snapshot of the living conditions of Australia's 24 million people.

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