MELBOURNE - The Australian government said on Sunday it will financially aid the country's tourism sector that's been badly hit by long-lasting bushfires, as Melbourne braced for downpours at the start of one of its greatest allures, the Australian Open.
"Victoria is about to see its wettest 2-day period in many, many months," Dean Narramore from the state's Bureau of Meteorology said. The government said the aid announced on Sunday was "an initial push" to help the country's A$152 billion tourism industry, an increasingly vital part of Australia's economy, that accounts for more than 3 percent of annual economic output.