Australian shares are set to open lower on Tuesday, tracking a lacklustre performance on Wall Street, as health authorities continue to battle virus outbreaks domestically and around the world.

The local share price index futures fell 0.5%, a 106.2-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark rose 1.5% on Monday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 0.9%.