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Australia's unemployment rate plummeted to 3.5 per cent in June, the lowest rate in 48 years and a figure that will could increase the likelihood of further aggressive interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank.

The drop, from 3.9 per cent in May, was better than economists were expecting and Deutsche Bank economist Phil O'Donaghoe said it was one of the best labour market reports in Australian history.

"You can never get too carried away with any number whether it's positive or negative, but really is just an extraordinary strong print, really adding to a very, very robust demand story here in Australia," he told ausbiz television.

Australian Bureau of Statistics head of labour data Bjorn Jarvis said the June figure was the lowest unemployment rate since August 1974, when it was 2.7 per cent and the survey was quarterly.

"The large fall in the unemployment rate this month reflects more people than usual entering employment and also lower than usual numbers of employed people becoming unemployed," he said.

"Together, these flows reflect an increasingly tight labour market, with high demand for engaging and retaining workers, as well as ongoing labour shortages."

Sean Langcake, head of macroeconomic forecasting for BIS Oxford Economics, said the labour market was tighter than the Australian central bank expected at any point in 2022, which presented upside risks to its wage and inflation forecasts.

"In light of today's strong data, we expect the RBA will raise rates by 50 basis points at the August meeting," he said in a note.

"From there, policy will be guided by the strength of wage growth in the Q2 release."

The number of unemployed people in June fell by 54,300, to 493,900 people.

There were nearly as many job vacancies in June - 480,000 - as there were unemployed people.

Before the coronavirus pandemic there were 3.1 unemployed people per vacant job.

The participation rate rose from 66.7 per cent to 66.8 per cent, with the number of employed people rising by 88,400, to 13,399,300.

The unemployment rate fell for both men and women - both by 0.4 per percentage points.

Hours worked were unchanged at 1,856 million, however, which Mr Langcake said could indicate there was a large cohort being forced to take sick leave or isolate due to COVID-19.

"With these staff unavailable, firms may be looking to hire additional staff to guard against capacity constraints."

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A fresh probe into Star Entertainment Group will examine whether problems revealed at its Sydney casino made their way over the border to Queensland.

A review of Star's suitability to hold a casino licence in the Sunshine State began on Thursday as counsel assisting Jonathan Horton QC mapped a course for the investigation.

"In the course of the interstate inquiry, many of the senior management of The Star resigned and have left," he told the inquiry in Brisbane.

"The context in which (this) inquiry takes place is rather different from when matters began in NSW."

Queensland Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman ordered the probe into the ASX-listed casino operator after the Bell inquiry heard allegations of money laundering and fraudulent activity in NSW.

Mr Horton said a key question would be the extent to which there were common governance and practices between NSW and Queensland.

The probe will also examine whether patrons excluded in Sydney were able or even encouraged to gamble over the border.

Compliance with anti-money laundering responsibilities, relationships with VIPs and high rollers, and dealing with junket operators will also be investigated.

The Queensland review, headed by former justice Robert Gotterson, will hold public hearings beginning on August 23.

At least one witness from Star Entertainment Group is expected to be called.

The company intended to co-operate fully with the inquiry, the group's lawyer told Thursday's hearing.

The review will report to the attorney-general by September 30.

In Queensland, Star owns and operates the Treasury Brisbane and The Star Gold Coast casinos, and is building a $3.6 billion Queen's Wharf resort development in Brisbane, which is expected to open in 2023.

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Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is due to appear in a London court where he is expected to enter a plea to accusations of sex offences dating back almost 20 years.

Spacey is accused of five offences in Britain - four counts of sexual assault by touching, and a more serious charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. Prosecutors say Spacey forced a man to have oral sex.

He made his first court appearance last month where his lawyer said the actor "strenuously" denied all the allegations.

He was granted unconditional bail and on Thursday is due at London's Old Bailey central criminal court.

If found guilty of sexual assault, he could face a six-month prison sentence or an unlimited fine, while the other offence carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

Police said the alleged assaults occurred between March 2005 and April 2013 - four in the British capital and one in Gloucestershire in the west of England.

They involved one man who is now in his 40s and two men now in their 30s.

Spacey, once one of Hollywood's biggest stars, has largely disappeared from public view since being accused of sexual misconduct five years ago.

The 62-year-old, who won Oscars for best actor in American Beauty and best supporting actor in The Usual Suspects, was dropped from the TV show House of Cards and removed from the movie All the Money in the World after the accusations came to light.

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Crunch time has arrived at the Pacific Islands Forum, with leaders heading into an all-day closed-doors meeting to thrash out regional issues.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend his first leaders' retreat on Thursday along with 13 other forum leaders in the Fijian capital of Suva.

The day will start with the traditional family photo, when leaders don a shirt designed by the hosts in the most recognisable moment of the annual event.

Then the leaders will get down to business for the secret talks, with seven hours currently scheduled.

The retreat has a reputation for being unwieldy and unpredictable, given the difficulties of reaching consensus with so many leaders in the room, each with different agendas.

At the last gathering in 2019, it was Australia that proved intransigent.

Pacific nations, living under threat of climate catastrophe, pushed for wording in the final communique taking aim at coal use, and wanted a commitment to keeping global warming under 1.5 per cent.

According to other leaders, former coalition prime minister Scott Morrison pushed back during a 12-hour marathon meeting - pushing Tonga's prime minister to tears.

Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama later described the meeting as "one of the most frustrating days I have ever had".

"The prime minister was very insulting, very condescending, not good for the relationship," he told The Guardian at the time.

Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga, who played host to the 2019 meeting, said accused Australia of only being "concerned about saving your economy".

"I'm concerned about saving my people in Tuvalu and likewise the leaders of other South Pacific small island countries," he said.

The Australian government's new climate stance - including headline targets of a 43 per cent cut in green house gas emissions and 82 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030 - has been welcomed by Pacific leaders.

However, that doesn't mean climate won't again be a sticking point, given the urgency of the matter in the Pacific.

"The number one issue for them is, of course, climate change, because it's a threat to their very existence," Mr Albanese told Nine Network on Thursday.

There are other issues that could threaten Mr Albanese's international relations honeymoon.

Australia's bid for a nuclear submarine fleet could meet resistance, given the anti-nuclear stance of many in the region formalised through the Treaty of Rarotonga.

A growing band of Pacific nations have also called for a moratorium on deep sea mining, an issue which if raised could expose differing views.

Privately, officials expect - and hope - for a smooth meeting, after disaffected Micronesian nation Kiribati withdrew from the forum on the eve of the summit.

Still, regional unity, and regional security, will be a major talking point in the wake of the Solomon Islands' security tie-up with China, which raised fears in Australia and New Zealand of Chinese militarisation in the Pacific.

"What we need to do ... is make clear what Australia's interests are, and obviously the interests of Australia would not be served by having a military base so close to where Australia is," Mr Albanese said of the Solomon Islands issue.

Australia and New Zealand are pushing Pacific Islands leaders to follow previous pledges and look first to them for security arrangements.

Forum chair Fiji also hopes the retreat will rubber-stamp a new long-term plan for the region, the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific, which has been the major effort of its year as chair.

The meeting is also set to confirm the Solomon Islands as the next chair and host of the 2023 gathering.

© AAP 2022