Opposition sees red over White Paper THE federal opposition says it will rewrite the Defence White Paper if it wins government, after labelling Labor's policy document a "smoke and mirrors" failure. The 2013 White Paper has pledged an extra 12 Super Hornet combat aircraft, while remaining committed to the advanced Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter due to enter service around 2020. The government will also bring forward the replacement of the navy's Armidale-class patrol boats, replace Navy supply ships HMAS Sirius and HMAS Success, and buy 12 new Australian-made submarines. But speaking after the paper's release on Friday, opposition defence spokesman David Johnston questioned why no dollar figure had been given for the acquisitions promised by the government. "What sort of a plan is this when the department cannot or is not permitted to put a dollar figure on any of these acquisitions," Senator Johnston told reporters in Canberra. This document is all about superficial words with no financial commitment. Launching the document in Canberra, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said there would be a "modest" rise in defence spending, with $100 billion over the four year forward estimates to be detailed in this month's federal budget. But Senator Johnston suggested "modest" could mean only a few dollars. The coalition would produce a new white paper 18 months into government, if it won the September election, he said. "We need some concrete figures in a white paper, and it is up to the opposition to do that," Senator Johnston said. This document, in line with what has become the standing joke in public policy, the 2009 White Paper, is headed the same way unless there is some dollar figure commitment.