Dec 19 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open little changed on Wednesday as Wall Street closed flat in a choppy session ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve policy decision. The possibility of a partial U.S. government shutdown added to investors' jitters ahead of the highly anticipated Fed meeting. The local share price index futures were at a 9.5-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark fell 1.2 percent on Tuesday. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 0.4 percent to 8,725.61 in early trade. (Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams)