Kiwis will have yet another reason to move across the Tasman following last week's announcement by the Australian Government of an increase in the grant for first-home buyers from $7,000 to A$14,000 (NZ$15,925), reports Beck Vass in the New Zealand Herald.

New Zealanders with Australian citizenship or permanent residency who fulfil certain criteria are also eligible for the grants.

The move is a bid to increase construction and assist first-home buyers struggling with house affordability.

For those buying brand-new homes, the assistance has been raised to $21,000.

Australian Dennis Ring, managing director of Over 50s Resorts (a gated community lifestyle village for people aged 50 or older in Queensland), told the Herald that he had been overwhelmed with requests from New Zealanders since news of the grants doubling hit the headlines last Wednesday.

"I've been inundated with people on my website asking about these Over 50s Resorts and number one is, 'Can we get the first-home owner's grant?' And yes they can."

The resort is in Ormeau, a five-minute drive from Dreamworld. Homeowners buy their home and pay no rates, but rent the land.

The first-home owner's grant may be offset by a $9,000 "stamp duty" - a fee paid by anyone buying a home in Australia.

But the rules vary from state to state, and Mr Ring said that stamp duty had recently been abolished in Queensland.