Sports rorts: Government was tinkering with project list hours after calling election

The national audit office has revealed yet another version of the spreadsheet used in the so-called sports rorts saga was sent the day the election was called.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is and former Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie. Source: AAP

The scandal surrounding the sports grants saga has deepened yet again, following revelations the federal government was still tinkering with the list of projects hours after the election was called.

The list of sports grants changed more than three hours after a final, approved version was sent to Sport Australia.

One version of the list of approved projects was sent from the office of then-sports minister Bridget McKenzie to Sport Australia at 8:46am on April 11.

Another version - with one project removed, and nine others added - was sent from Senator McKenzie's office to the prime minister's office later that day.

"The final version of the spreadsheet was circulated to Sport Australia at 12:43pm," Brian Boyd from the Australian National Audit Office told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday night.

The timeline is significant because the government entered caretaker mode at 8:29am on April 11, when Scott Morrison called the election.

After that time, the government is supposed to avoid making major policy decisions or entering major contracts.