UPDATE: Bill Clinton praises Australia in the wake of MH17 crash

Former US President Bill Clinton has praised Australia’s hard-line stance in the wake of the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines’ Flight MH17.

Mr Clinton, speaking at the launch of Adelaide’s Torrens University, said Australia had taken the right tact in keeping the pressure on Russia following the incident.

"I commend the Australian government and the stance that it has taken over the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines plane over eastern Ukraine,” he said.

He said it was unlikely that the shooters had intended to fire on a civilian airline but had probably opened fire thinking they were aiming at a military aircraft.

The former US President also praised Australia’s ongoing work to combat AIDS, including this week’s AIDS 2014 conference in Melbourne that he was a keynote speaker at.

"Whenever there is a diverse group of people getting together whose primary objective is to get things done, then good things are happening,” he said.

“The future of the 21st century, in spite of all the problems, should be the most peaceful, prosperous time. Whenever shared prosperity, shared responsibility is promoted, that is going to be a good thing.”