Over the last three weeks there has been a worldwide outpouring of grief for the victims of downed flight MH17.
Many nations have come together to condemn this atrocity, help recover remains and investigate this terrible crime.
This includes more than 500 Australian Federal Police and Australian Defence Force personnel deployed under Operation Bring Them Home and diplomats from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
In Ukraine, their harrowing work has been carried out under increasingly dangerous circumstances.
The drawdown of Australian personnel from Ukraine is under way following the conclusion of the initial phase of Operation Bring Them Home.
In The Netherlands their task continues, as Australian and Dutch scientists finalise the victim identification process to bring some closure for families.
Accompanied by AFP Commissioner Tony Negus APM and the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin AC, I will travel to the Netherlands tonight to personally thank Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for his leadership of this international effort.
No country suffered greater losses than the Dutch when MH17 was shot out of the sky on July 17 killing all 298 passengers and crew.
There were 38 people on board who called Australia home.
The Dutch have very capably led the international recovery and repatriation mission, working in tandem with Australia and Malaysian officials and with strong support from the international community.
I will thank Prime Minister Rutte for his support, receive updates on the search and victim identification efforts and thank the Australian police and defence personnel for their work.
Following the Netherlands I will travel briefly to the United Kingdom to receive security briefings from the UK Ministers and security agencies.
I will return to Australia on Thursday.
9 August 2014