Australian shares are poised to open higher on Thursday, likely supported by gains in energy stocks and major miners on the back of strong commodity prices and taking cues from a strong Wall Street rally overnight.

The local share price index futures rose 0.2%, a 17.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark rose about 0.53% on Wednesday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index was flat at 13130.2 points in early trade.