The names of the Australians killed in the MH17 atrocity a year ago today are etched on this plaque just as they are etched in our hearts.
The plaque is set in soil that one of our police officers brought back from Ukraine.
He knew that the place where MH17 came to rest was sacred and that a piece of it should come back to Australia.
It was a humane and decent thing for him to know and do.
It was a contrast to the savagery that brought down the plane.
So today we remember our dead, we thank those who brought them home.
But most of all, we acknowledge the suffering of the bereaved.
You have had the worst year of your life.
Hardly a moment would go by when you don't think of a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend, present in your thoughts but painfully absent from your life.
Today our nation pauses to acknowledge your tragedy.
May this permanent memorial to your loved ones, close to the memorial to those killed in Bali, be of some comfort.
We won't forget them and we won't abandon you.
[ends]