Ms Ley told The Border Mail her input as minister helped ensure public patients were treated at the Albury-Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre was one of her two biggest accomplishments in the role.

But independent candidate Kevin Mack said the cancer cancer would always operate as a public-private partnership model with the arrangements locked into place well before Ms Ley became health minister in 2014.

"Ms Ley's claim is a little like that of the former member for Indi Sophie Mirabella, who was found out when she claimed she had won the $65 million for the cancer centre by lobbying Labor's Simon Crean," Mr Mack said.

"The creation and operation of this centre has always been a combined effort, a lot of hard work completed over many years by individuals, health stakeholders and community groups.

"There is proof the centre has always been acknowledged as a public-private partnership in the history published by Albury Wodonga Health, Ramsay Health and the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre trust fund."

But The Border Mail has seen correspondence dated April 2015 where former Albury Wodonga Health chief executive Sue O'Neil wrote to Ms Ley concerned negotiations between the NSW and Victoria governments had stalled to find a model of private radiotherapy delivery funding that resulted in no out of pocket charges to patients in Albury-Wodonga.

Ms O'Neill regarded it a high priority due to large out of pocket expenses experienced by patients and families at the time.

The matter was raised again in an internal department briefing in August 2015, outlining the federal department had been in talks with NSW and Victoria to ensure the availability of bulk-billed radiotherapy services at the cancer centre.

"It is really disappointing to see Kevin recently running down our cancer centre, giving the impression the service is somehow second rate," Ms Ley said.

"He couldn't possibly know what happened behind the scenes which required negotiations across three different governments. So why say anything?"

Albury Wodonga Health chair Nicki Melville was unable to comment.

The cancer centre opened in late 2016 with Ms Ley a part of the official proceedings in her role as federal health minister.

The $65 million funding to build the cancer centre was made by Labor minister Simon Crean with the ongoing operational funding provided by the two states.

In the lead-up to the 2013 election, Mrs Mirabella wrote in a letter to supporters outlining her efforts to help secure the cancer centre.

"At the last election, I promised to fight for a border cancer centre.

"We have had a successful local campaign and pressured (Mr) Crean to announce $65 million for the border cancer centre".

Political rivals took aim at Mrs Mirabella for wrongly claiming she was responsible for securing the funding for the cancer centre and a mental health headspace facility.

Mrs Mirabella declined to comment when contacted by The Border Mail.

But, at the headpace centre opening in 2015, chief executive Chris Tanti acknowledged the lobbying efforts of Mrs Mirabella and Ms Ley.

Tit-for-tat between candidates over who should be taking credit for funding wins has been commonplace in the present election campaign, particularly in Indi, where the independent candidate Helen Haines is trying to have the "baton passed on" from Ms McGowan and head off the two-pronged Coalition challenge.

Last week, the Australian National Audit Office agreed to investigate a complaint from an Indi constituent who expressed their disappointment that funding for a lighting upgrade at Wodonga's John Flower Oval was made by Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie accompanied by the party's Indi candidate Mark Byatt.

The constituent was "appalled" funding announcements had bypassed Ms McGowan's office.

The office will investigate the complaint and report back in September.