Survivors of the Christmas Island boat wreck are refusing to return to the island today. Twenty-one detainees, who lost family in the tragedy, attended funerals in Sydney earlier this week. The Immigration Minister Chris Bowen is rejecting calls to let them stay at Villawood in Sydney, but he says a nine-year-old boy, whose parents both drowned in the tragedy, will be placed in the community sometime soon. 

 

An inquest into the Christmas Island boat disaster will examine why the vessel wasn't being monitored until just before it hit rocks and sank. West Australian Coroner Alastair Hope has received Commonwealth support for the inquest which is expected to start in May. He hopes it'll uncover the names of the 20 victims who are still unidentified.

 

Australians are spending more than $700 million a year on ATM fees despite attempts by the Reserve Bank to reform the system. A report by the Australia Institute reveals the overwhelming majority of people think ATM fees are unfair, but a quarter of those surveyed had paid the fee in the last week.

 

And the political unrest sweeping the Middle East has now reached Libya where hundreds of demonstrators have clashed with police and government supporters in the city of Benghazi.