Four Australian Defence Force members who perished in a catastrophic helicopter crash in Queensland died "making a difference".
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A recovery operation continues for the bodies of Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs.
The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed near Hamilton Island on Friday night.
The chopper had been conducting joint military training as a part of Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the search and rescue operation was now a recovery mission and family members had been informed.
He said evidence showed there had been a "catastrophic incident" and any hope of finding the men, who were members of the 6th Aviation Regiment, alive was lost.
"We are all left wondering, naturally, what happened (and) foremost in our minds at this moment must be the families of these four men and their teammates," Mr Marles said.
"There will be a full investigation and we will come to understand exactly what happened and learn the lessons from it."
Mr Marles said the loss of the four men was "significant and meaningful".
"They died on Friday night making a difference," he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the ADF members, saying the event was a difficult weekend for the nation.
"They dedicated their lives to keeping us safe. They were soldiers, sons, husbands, brothers, fathers and friends," he told parliament.
"We offer our sympathies and condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who Australia has lost. We mourn them, we will remember them."
Governor-General David Hurley, a former defence force chief, extended sympathies to the four men.
"As they stepped forward to serve us, so must we too honour their memory, remember their sacrifice and support their families," he said.
"It is a tragedy, and (wife) Linda and my thoughts are with the families, friends and other defence force personnel at this difficult time. I hope that the knowledge of our nation's gratitude is of some comfort in this moment of intense grief."
Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell asked all Australians to pause and think about "the service offered and the loss suffered" and to support and care for the families.
General Campbell said because of the depth of currents, sonar equipment had been used to identify pieces of the wreckage.
"This effort will continue. We will be bringing our mates home to their families and to their regiments," he said.
A full investigation into the crash will take place.
Forty-seven MRH-90 helicopters have been grounded until further notice.
Mr Marles said the helicopters were certified to fly.
Specialist navy divers joined Queensland police and crews from HMAS Brisbane, HMAS Adelaide and USS Miguel Keith in their search for the missing Taipan.
An exclusion zone was put in place south of Hamilton Island, from the southern tip of Long Island east to Perseverance Island, south to Cole Island and west to the mainland at Round Head.
It is the second time an Australian MRH-90 has been involved in an emergency this year, after a Taipan crashed into the sea off the NSW south coast in March.
Talisman Sabre has more than 30,000 defence force personnel participating from in excess of a dozen partner nations including the US.
The joint exercises, mainly being held in regional Queensland, resumed late on Saturday in the Northern Territory and Western Australia after a pause.
Australian Associated Press
