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New data points to a strengthening in the Australian economy in the coming months, aided by the significant easing of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The Westpac-Melbourne Institute leading index, which indicates the likely pace of economic activity three to nine months into the future, rose to its highest level since May 2021 in March.

The index rose to 1.71 per cent from 1.02 per cent in February, suggesting the economy will grow comfortably above the long-term growth rate of 2.8 per cent.

"It is very welcome to see these encouraging signals from the leading index in the early months of 2022," Westpac chief economist Bill Evans said.

"They are consistent with Westpac's upbeat view of the growth momentum in the economy for most of 2022."

He expects growth in 2022 of around 5.5 per cent, with more than 70 per cent of that growth being concentrated in the June and September quarters, and driven by the rapid recovery in household spending.

Separately, falling petrol prices have given a further lift to consumer confidence, backing the recovery in spending.

The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index, also released on Wednesday, rose 2.3 per cent in the past week to 96.8, its highest level since March 6.

However, an index below 100 indicates pessimists still outweigh optimists.

In a mirror image, household inflation expectations dropped by 0.5 percentage points to 5.3 per cent, its lowest level since March 6 as petrol prices declined for a fourth straight week.

"Oil prices have risen more than 10 per cent from the low at the beginning of last week, so it's not clear if there is much more room for confidence to be boosted by lower petrol prices," ANZ head of Australian economics David Plank said.

The Australian Institute of Petroleum said the national average for petrol prices fell by a further eight cents in the past week to 166.3 cents a litre, continuing a sharp decline from above $2 a litre.

This reflects in part the federal government's temporary halving of fuel excise in last month's budget.

Still, cost of living pressures remain more broadly in the economy with next week's inflation figures expected to show a sharp rise.

In the minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia's April board meeting it warns that rising inflation may have brought forward the timing of an increase in the cash rate.

It expects measures of underlying inflation in the March quarter to be more than three per cent - above its two to three per cent target.

But it indicated it still wants to see the consumer price index for the March quarter due on April 27 and the wage price index for the same period on May 18.

Economists are generally expecting the cash rate to increase by 0.15 per cent to 0.25 per cent at the June board meeting, ending a gradual decline in rates stretching back a decade.

However, there are concerns a very strong inflation result could see the cash rate jump by 0.4 per cent to 0.5 per cent at the May board meeting, even though it would be in the middle of a federal election campaign.

Meanwhile, the National Skills Commission confirmed skilled job advertisements posted on the internet rose 3.7 per cent in March, to be 24.1 per cent higher than a year earlier.

Jobs ads rose for all eight occupational groups monitored by the commission, led by a 5.6 per cent increase in community and personal service workers.

Jobs ads also increased in every state and territory in the month.

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NSW and Victoria are poised to scrap the requirement for household contacts of people with COVID-19 to isolate.

Business leaders have been calling for the end to the seven-day isolation rule, saying it will ease staff shortages for businesses trying to recover from the pandemic.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant will address the media on Wednesday morning after the COVID and Economic Recovery Committee met on Tuesday evening to consider easing the rules.

COVID-19 cases in NSW dropped to 10, 856 on Tuesday but jumped by more than 4000 on Wednesday.

Victoria recorded 8976 cases on Tuesday, as Premier Daniel Andrews said isolation rules and other COVID-19 restrictions could be scrapped after the peak of the Omicron wave.

The state's case number rose to 10,628 on Wednesday.

A few more days of data was needed to confirm the falling seven-day case trend, Mr Andrews said.

"That gives us options in terms of getting rid of the very few remaining rules that we have, and I think you'll see some movement there very, very soon," he told reporters in Wangaratta on Tuesday.

Clinical epidemiologist and head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Nancy Baxter says a quarter-to-half of people who have a household contact with coronavirus, will likely contract the virus.

"We need to protect people from those households contacts if we're allowing them to leave home without isolation," she told ABC TV on Wednesday.

"You'd want them to do RATs, you'd want them in masks and not just in any mask, in a high-quality mask like a P2 or N95," she said.

Employers should be required to keep those people isolated or physically distanced from other workers "because there's going to be a high-risk of getting it into the workplace for these people", she said.

"It is (politically) expedient for all of these things to be relaxed because it signals that COVID is over.

"The problem is COVID hasn't gotten the memo .... and what we're seeing in Australia right now is ... one of the world's highest rate of new cases of COVID per day."

LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA FROM ACROSS AUSTRALIA:

NSW: 15,414 cases, 15 deaths, 1639 in hospital, 72 in ICU

Victoria: 10,628 cases, 14 deaths, 437 in hospital, 34 in ICU

Queensland: 8995 cases, six deaths, 594 in hospital, 25 in ICU

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Weeks after floods devastated massive swathes of NSW and QLD, climate change remains a major concern for Australians as they head into the polls.

A new Ipsos survey has found that 83 per cent of Australians are worried about the debilitating effects of climate change and global warming.

With more frequent and extreme natural disaster events, 70 per cent see the country already in the grip of turbulent climate change.

Nearly 45 per cent of Australians think the federal government is doing "too little" to combat climate change.

That looming anxiety will colour their choice at the upcoming federal election next month, with almost 60 per cent surveyed noting they will be looking at the individual candidate or party's policies in addressing environmental catastrophes before voting for them.

"Awareness and expectations among Australians regarding our climate are growing," said Ipsos Public Affairs Director Stuart Clark.

"There is a concern among Australians and a desire for the government to act. Policy will be a key part of the people's decision-making coming into the election," he said.

Almost 30 per cent of Labor voters consider the environment the most important issue impacting their electoral decision, making it equally important as the economy at 28 per cent.

But with awareness rising , scepticism particularly among NSW residents has also ballooned.

Nearly 1 in 3 have expressed doubt about whether climate change is occurring.

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Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese will face off for the first time this election when they meet for a leaders' debate on Wednesday night.

The prime minister and opposition leader will go head-to-head in Brisbane where they will take questions from undecided voters.

It comes as both parties will use day 10 of the election campaign to focus on industrial relations.

The government has announced it would double the penalties courts can impose on construction unions, should it win office.

Penalties for serious offences such as unlawful industrial action, freedom of association or coercion will be increased to $88,000 for an individual and $444,000 for a union.

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said the changes to the building and construction industry act would try to stamp out "bullying and intimidation" by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union.

"We are going to ensure that their behaviour, their unlawful behaviour on construction sites in Australia, they are held to account," she told the Nine Network.

"The current penalties they merely see as the cost of doing business. That is unacceptable. We need to ensure our construction industry in Australia is as productive as it can be."

Meanwhile, Labor has upped their attacks on the government on working conditions, arguing the coalition would bring back controversial workplace laws.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke said the government would scrap the better off overall test for workplace agreements.

"Mr Morrison is sharpening his knife to slash your pay and conditions," Mr Burke said.

Mr Burke says the legislative changes would result in a $14,000 a year pay cut for part-time disability care workers, $10,000 for retail managers doing night shifts and $7000 for a butcher working weekends.

"At the exact time that we need to get wages moving, Mr Morrison's answer is to provide a green light for pay cuts," he told the ABC.

"That's what the legislation did, that's why they couldn't get it through the parliament, and now in the election campaign, he's fessing up that if he gets a chance, it's all back on the table."

The prime minister is also expected to unveil a $50 million research partnership with the University of Adelaide, creating 1000 new jobs and developing 100 new defence products over the next four years, according to the Adelaide Advertiser.

The investment will come alongside a second $14.4 million announcement for an extra 480 internships for engineering students in an aim to get more women into defence jobs.

But Labor has accused the prime minister of letting the Pacific region become more unstable than at any time since World War II after the Solomon Islands inked a security deal with China.

The opposition's foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong accused Mr Morrison of ignoring warnings and failing to engage with Pacific nations in a constructive manner.

"On Scott Morrison's watch, our region has become less secure, and the risks Australia faces have become much greater," Senator Wong told the ABC.

"What we see again is the same pattern of behaviour from Mr Morrison. He's gone missing.

"We have to listen to what they're saying. (And) one of the things Australia has been lacking on is genuineness when it comes to addressing climate change."

But while raising concerns about the pact, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the criticism levelled at the government ignored that sovereign nations are able to make their own strategic decisions.

Treasury will also release the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook later on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the West Australian reports Labor will officially launch its election campaign in Perth on Sunday May 1.

It will be the first time a federal campaign has been launched in WA by any party.

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