Malcolm Turnbull, who was behind the French submarine contract that Morrison dramatically tore up in favour of Aukus, said Australia needs to "wake up", realise it's a "bad deal" which the US could renege on at any point, and make other plans before it is too late.

The Trump administration has launched a review into the Aukus defense pact that the US signed with Australia and the UK in 2021 to counter China’s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region. Central to the agreement is a controversial project — expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars — to help Australia develop a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines over a 30-year period.