But Senator Payne remains assured the Solomon Islands won't allow a Chinese naval base to be built on its shores - a move which the Coalition has described as its "red line".

The Morrison government continues to refuse to explain how it would react if that line was crossed, with Senator Payne saying it would unhelpful to speculate.

The lack of transparency surrounding the deal - which emerged in draft form on social media - has raised questions as to whether Solomon Island Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's assurance can be trusted.

Senator refused to be drawn on Mr Sogavare's trustworthiness when the question was floated on Tuesday afternoon.

But she did call on the Pacific neighbour to be more upfront about the deal.

"There is a lack of transparency in relation to this agreement and we would encourage greater transparency," she said.

"That is the way that we prefer to engage."

The election row over the China-Solomon Islands deal escalated on Tuesday as Labor unveiled an eight-point plan to "restore" Australia's standing as the partner of choice for Pacific nations.

The plan includes $525 million of foreign aid over the next four years, setting up a new defence school, changes to labor schemes and financing for climate resilience projects.

Labor continues to argue that the Coalition has "dropped the ball" in the Pacific, opening the door to countries such as China and, as a result, making Australia less secure.

Senator Payne defended the Coalition's record in the region as she dismissed Labor's package as largely reflecting what the government was already doing.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there was one point of difference: Labor's plan to use the ABC to beam more Australian content into the region.

Mr Morrison mocked the proposal in a radio interview with Sydney's 2GB radio before doubling down at a press conference in Townsville.

At the press conference, he compared Labor's proposal to the government sending in federal police officers when riots broke out in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara last year.

"I sent in the AFP, the Labor Party wants to send in the ABC," he told reporters.

"When it comes to their Pacific solution, They have a Q&A solution."

Labor's Pacific spokesman, Pat Conroy, said the investment was designed to fill a void he claimed was being filled by Chinese-state media.

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Responding to Mr Morrison's comments, Mr Conroy accused the Prime Minister of wanting Chinese state-owned media beamed into households in the Pacific rather than Australian-made content.

"Unlike Mr Morrison, Labor wants Australian voices in the Pacific not the voices of the Chinese Communist Party," Mr Conroy said.

"Labor wants Australian voices broadcasting the Pacific, not voices of the Chinese Communist Party, which is clearly what Mr Morrison wants."

Earlier on Tuesday, Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said maintaining relationships with Pacific nations was a "hose you have to hold", in a pointed attack at Mr Morrison and his government over the China-Solomon Islands agreement.

Mr Turnbull, now a vocal Coalition critic, joined Labor and others in describing the deal struck between Beijing and Solomon Islands as a foreign policy failure on the part of the Morrison government.

"The government cannot gild the lily on this, this has been a failure ... an absolute failure of foreign policy," he told ABC's RN Breakfast.