Protesters urged to avoid bringing Middle East conflict into Australia
'We're a democracy and people are entitled to peacefully protest,' Mr Farrell told Sky News Australia.
"As the prime minister said in his earlier comments in his press conference today, it has to be done peacefully, and we don't want to bring conflicts from other countries into Australia.
'The government supports Israel and its demand for the return of those hostages, that would obviously be part of some ceasefire proposals, some peace settlement, so to the extent that we can influence events in the Middle East.
'We want to see a peaceful outcome. We want to see a ceasefire, we want to see the return of hostages and we want to ensure that Hamas makes no further part in the government of Gaza.'
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