AAP

The Australian share market has finished broadly higher with all sectors posting gains.

At least three institutional investors in Australia are pushing for global miner BHP to consider external candidates to replace Andrew Mackenzie as new CEO, sources with direct knowledge of the matter say.

Oil prices rose more than one per cent overnight as investors worried about possible supply disruptions in the energy-rich Middle East after Iranian forces seized a British tanker last week.

Gold prices steadied overnight after a sharp fall in the previous session, as investors waited for the US Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates at its meeting next week.

The Australian share market has edged lower, with traders apparently feeling cautious on a number of fronts.

Australia's top bureaucrat has cleared former ministers Julie Bishop and Christopher Pyne of any potential misconduct over jobs they have accepted since retiring from federal politics.

The Western Australian government has suspended its tourism campaign featuring MasterChef's George Calombaris after he was fined for underpaying restaurant workers by almost $8 million.

The Australian share market is lower at the start of a new week with mining and energy the only sectors to gain any ground.

Oil prices rose about one per cent at the end of last week, supported by rising tensions between the United States and Iran, even as concerns that slowing economic growth could dent global oil demand cast a cloud.

Gold dipped more than one per cent at the end of last week as the US dollar firmed and investors took profits after prices briefly surpassed $US1,450 to hit a six-year peak on dovish signals from the US Federal Reserve and is still on course for a second week of gains.

The Australian share market has rallied to end a mostly lacklustre week a tad higher than where it began, thanks to gold miners and the big banks.

National Australia Bank has tasked former Commonwealth Bank of Australia retail boss Ross McEwan with rebuilding the bank's battered reputation as its new chief executive and managing director.

Oil fell about 2.5 per cent a barrel overnight, weighed down by weakness in US equities markets and an expectation that crude output would rise in the Gulf of Mexico following last week's hurricane in the region.

Gold prices held steady overnight, holding close to a two-week high, as the US dollar eased on rising expectations of an interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.

The Australian share market has fallen for the fourth time in five days, with losses from construction giant CIMIC Group and mining titan BHP dragging the market.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Western Australia has bucked the national trend and fallen 0.5 percentage points to 5.8 per cent on the back of a 13,800 increase in the total number of people holding a job.

Lendlease has chalked up the biggest urban construction deal in its history, after it signed a $20 billion deal with Google to develop 15 million square feet of residential, retail, hospitality and community space in the US.

Woodside Petroleum has reported a 32 per cent drop in second-quarter revenue, the first decline in six quarters, as it was hit by an extension of planned maintenance at its Pluto liquefied natural gas facility and weaker prices.

ASIC wants to ban 'cold call' sales pitches for life and consumer credit insurance ahead of planned government reforms to the sector.

The Australian share market has opened lower ahead of the release of last month's job numbers.

Oil futures fell more than one per cent overnight, extending a more than three per cent drop in prices in the previous session, after US government data showed large builds in refined product stockpiles.

Gold prices rose more than one per cent overnight as weaker-than-expected US data increased prospects for an interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve, dragging the US dollar lower.

The Australian share market has bounced back from a morning dip to finish higher, ending a three-day losing streak.

The WA government is considering prosecuting a Chinese company over unauthorised land clearing at a pastoral station in the state's north, as shocked traditional owners say important flora including boab trees have been ripped up.

BHP has reported a 1.0 per cent drop in fourth-quarter iron ore production, hurt by a tropical cyclone in Western Australia that disrupted production and exports.

The Australian share market has opened slightly higher despite a negative lead from Wall Street.

Oil prices fell more than three per cent overnight after US President Donald Trump said progress has been made with Iran.

Gold prices fell overnight after better-than-expected US retail sales data lowered the likelihood of an aggressive interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve in investors' eyes, boosting the US dollar.

The Australian share market has closed down for a third day, its first three-day losing streak since late May.

WA opposition leader Liza Harvey's blaming of "meth zombies" for Perth's weak retail sector talks down the WA capital, Labor leader Anthony Albanese says.

Rio Tinto shares are subdued in early trade after the mining giant flagged a scheduling blowout at its Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia that could cost it an extra $2.7 billion.

Oil Search says both its second-quarter production and revenue have dipped by 5 per cent as expected, but analysts were reportedly looking for a more substantial first-half recovery after last year's earthquake in Papua New Guinea.