A SENIOR Australian MP visited Barrow's shipyard as BAE prepares to build submarines for the country as part of a major defence agreement.

David Speirs, the leader of the opposition in South Australia, paid tribute to shipyard workers as he visited BAE's submarine academy.

Britain is due to provide some of the submarines as part of a trilateral agreement with America to equip Australia with its own nuclear fleet.

Mr Speirs, who leads the South Australian Liberal Party, said after the visit: "South Australia's submarine future is filled with potential.

"Visiting the BAE Systems shipyards in Barrow-in-Furness has helped me understand the scale of the work ahead of us and the greatness of the opportunity.

"Barrow-in-Furness has been the site of the UK's nuclear-powered submarine build since 1963 and the size and scale of the operation is difficult to describe, suffice to say these machines are amongst the most complex things that are built globally and the skills required are immense.

"At Barrow, BAE Systems has developed the Submarine Academy for Skills and Knowledge focused on ensuring that young people in the community have pathways to careers in local shipbuilding, an important strategy to ensure that the right skills are in place to make sure that the work gets done and the benefit stays local."

The AUKUS agreement was signed last year.

Britain and America will work to provide submarines to Australia over the next two decades.

The first UK SSN-AUKUS submarines built by BAE and Rolls-Royce and will be delivered in the late 2030s to replace the current Astute-Class vessels, with the first Australian submarines following in the early 2040s.

The submarines will be the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in one vessel.

This decades-long programme will create thousands of jobs both in UK shipyards and across the supply chain, with billions of pounds already invested in submarine building at multiple UK sites.

A number of Royal Australian Navy personnel have begun nuclear training in the UK.