Is the way Australia decides to go to war appropriate for a democratic nation? What about formal reporting to the people on war progress, and parliament controlling the purse strings? These major questions will get more prominence in the lead-up to the expected 2010 federal election. Also on the agenda - as CLA prepares for its 2010 electronic AGM - will be the inequitable system where Australians living in the Territories can have their democratically-passed laws overturned just because a Prime Minister doesn't like one clause in them.

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DNA is the featured civil liberties question this month: CLA calls for more stringent audit procedures for Australia's criminal DNA holdings, and new laws to better protect consumers in the insurance/superannuation area. Extremism by ruling politicians continues throughout Australia, as NSW plans to introduce a law that you have to pay to prove you're not a pedophile before getting a licence to work with childen, and the NT is proposing 'two strikes and you're in' legislation - mandatory, of course - for people caught drink-driving.

Other issues covered in this issue include:

• Government lambasted for poor record-keeping;
• Protestors hit the streets to counter over-the-top bikie laws;
• Australia's rogue A-G plans 'apartheid-like' bans on hoons;
• Report on CLA's activities for January;
• Fearless Gary gets a gong, as 4.7 firearms stolen every day;
• Canadian Supreme Court finds against government over Khadr;
• Fiji needs to restore confidence in judiciary;
• Should dolphins have their own bill of rights?
• Stop-search powers: photographers protest, Prof says they don't work;
• Brit scanner trial will be the full monty;
• NZ increases surveillance on its citizens.

Click to read this month's CLArion