The main Australian base in Afghanistan has officially closed, with the last Australian troops leaving Uruzgan province.
Announcing the withdrawal from Uruzgan and the closure of the Tarin Kot base on Monday, the Prime Minster Mr Abbott paid tribute to the soldiers who fought and died there over a 12-year period.
"We know that they've paid a high price, 40 dead, 261 seriously wounded," he said.
"But that sacrifice has not been in vain. Uruzgan today is a very significantly different and better place than it was a decade ago."
The conflict, which began in 2001 as a mission to hunt down Al Qaeda, instead became a protracted fight against Taliban insurgents, the ABC reports.
More than 25,000 Australians have served in Afghanistan in a contribution that has also cost the country more than $AU7.5 billion.
Mr Abbott said it was a "heavy question" to weigh up whether the war had been worth the price paid, but he has concluded that it was.
"If you look at the benefits for our country, for Afghanistan, and for the wider world, then my conclusion is yes, it has been worth it," he said.
About 400 military personnel will remain in Afghanistan in training and support roles, mostly in the capital Kabul, and in Kandahar.
The Australian government will also provide $AU100 million a year to help fund Afghanistan's defence forces.
