Thousands of Pacific Islanders would be granted permanent residency through a green card-style lottery and it would be cheaper and easier to import thousands more as guest workers under a Labor government plan to fend off Chinese efforts to build regional influence.

But Labor has angered the farm lobby while forgoing the chance to deepen ties with South-East Asia after pledging it would roll the existing agricultural visa into the Pacific labour scheme for guest workers should it win the May 21 election.