Independent South Australian Senator Rex Patrick says Australia needs to be “very careful” in how it operates under the newly signed AUKUS security pact.

The trilateral security pact will see the US and UK help Australia to develop a conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarine capacity.

Senator Patrick has concerns about how a nuclear-powered submarine would operate in a country with no nuclear industry.

“This is a complex endeavour,” he told Liam Bartlett on 6PR Mornings.

“We don’t have a nuclear industry, We don’t have a nuclear regulatory safety regime, like they will have in countries that operate nuclear-powered submarines.”

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