(Updates to close) Oct 18 (Reuters) - Australian shares ended...

(Updates to close)

Oct 18 (Reuters) - Australian shares ended little changed on Wednesday as investors focused on China's twice-a-decade Communist Party conference for clues on policy direction in the country's biggest export market.

President Xi Jinping said in his opening speech to the gathering that China will deepen market-oriented reforms of exchange rates and interest rates, reiterating an oft-heard government pledge.

However, the keynote speech dealt only with broad themes and gave few details.

The S&P/ASX 200 index (xjo) ended up a fractional 0.02 percent or 0.888 points at 5,890.5. The benchmark gained 0.7 percent on Tuesday.

The health care index .AXHJ rose 1.1 percent to hit an over three-month high, led by Sirtex Medical Ltd (SRX) which rose 3.3 percent.

AGL Energy Ltd (AGL) ended 2.1 percent higher. Telstra Corporation Ltd (TLS) and education company Navitas Ltd (NVT) shed 1.7 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.

Miners BHP Billiton Ltd (BHP) and Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO) edged lower.

BHP Billiton reported a 4 percent drop in quarterly iron ore output while Rio Tinto came under pressure after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday charged the company and two of its former top executives with fraud.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (nz50) also marked time, edging up 0.04 percent or 2.97 points to finish the session at 8,115.02.

Utilities and Telecom services were the top gaining sectors on the index with Contact Energy (CEN) and Spark New Zealand Ltd (SPK) climbing 0.9 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

Global dairy prices slumped for the second time in a row at an auction held early on Wednesday, suggesting an earlier rally was running out of steam.