The Australian share market has opened nearly a quarter of a per cent higher.

At 1010 AEDT on Thursday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 11.7 points, or 0.23 per cent, at 4,979.0, while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 11.3 points, or also 0.23 per cent, at 4,993.9.

On the ASX 24, the March share price index futures contract was up 23 points at 4,996, with 11,453 contracts traded.