Labor is claiming a $1 billion war chest of its own for new healthcare services in the weeks ahead after Mr Shorten made the cost of cancer treatment at key issue in his budget reply speech. The government's election stockpile includes a $58.2 million "safer communities fund" to pay for closed circuit television cameras and other security upgrades for councils, schools, community groups, churches and others. The budget also includes a $27.2 million "social cohesion package" for community languages and a grant program that will open "shortly" to fund local programs for migrants. Local projects will also gain from a $137.4 million "practical environment restoration" program including grants to restore waterways, set up recycling services and save threatened species. The budget puts another $206.2 million into a "better regions fund" for community infrastructure, continuing a program that sparked claims of "politicisation" earlier this year.

Sporting facilities will get $385.6 million including specific grants to major events, such as the T20 cricket world cup and the Australian team at the next Paralympic Games, but most of the recipients are yet to be revealed. Loading The single biggest part of the sports program is a $150 million commitment to upgrade female change room facilities at sporting grounds and swimming pools. In its climate change policies, the government has included $61.2 million in grants for "energy efficient communities" to help businesses and local groups. The budget ramped up the controversial community development grants program with another $496.2 million but listed projects worth only $60 million, including a new training facility for the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville and a new building for the Richmond Football Club.

These funding programs have all been announced in the budget but most of the recipients have not been revealed. Loading Meanwhile, Labor has admitted that Mr Shorten's landmark healthcare promise on cancer, which he announced in his reply to the budget on Thursday night does not include any new money to subsidise cancer medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, despite his "guarantee" to list every drug recommended by experts. Asked to name the cancer drugs a Labor government would subsidise beyond those already funded under the Coalition, a Labor spokesman did not name any. Health Minister Greg Hunt attacked the Labor guarantee and said the Coalition had listed more than 2000 medicines on the PBS.

"This is a hollow and misleading promise because the Coalition is already doing this and Labor refused to do it when they were last in government," Mr Hunt said. Loading Mr Morrison and his ministers prepared for the campaign by announcing more than two dozen appointments to agencies and boards in recent days, before the government enters caretaker mode when the election is called. Labor accused Environment Minister Melissa Price of promising more than $37,500 for environment projects in the Victorian marginal seat of Dunckley before government officials had begun considering applications for grants. The Australian National Audit Office has rebuked governments in the past for giving preference to marginal electorates in grant funding programs.

Auditor-General Grant Hehir wrote to Labor legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus last week to say he was considering an audit of two programs, the Building Better Regions Fund and the Fostering Integration Grants, to make sure they were within the rules for the proper use of funds. Former Finance Department deputy secretary Stephen Bartos said the grant funding usually increased every three years in line with the election cycle. "You find them in pre-election budgets much more so than in any others," Mr Bartos said. Grattan Institute budget policy director Danielle Wood said a more transparent approach would be better in the budget although the amounts did not have a major impact on fiscal policy.