Janet Albrechtsen

Janet Albrechtsen, SJD [http://www.law.usyd.edu.au/fstudent/research/programs.shtml] (born 1966) is an Australian opinion columnist, social commentator and conservative pundit with the News Limited-owned newspaper, "The Australian." She is also a member of the Board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Australia's state-owned national broadcaster.

Albrechtsen was born in Adelaide and graduated in law from Adelaide University, then moved to Sydney and worked as a commercial lawyer [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,9277270-32523,00.html] . She has a doctorate (Doctor of Juridical Studies) [http://opac.library.usyd.edu.au/search?/aalbrechtsen+janet/aalbrechtsen+janet/1%2C1%2C2%2CB/frameset&FF=aalbrechtsen+janet&2%2C%2C2/indexsort=-] from the University of Sydney Law School and has taught as an academic [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,9277270-32523,00.html] . Since turning to commentary, she has written for the "Australian Financial Review", "The Age", "The Sydney Morning Herald", "The Sunday Age", "Quadrant" and "The Wall Street Journal Asia".

Albrechtsen frequently comments on legal issues. She has criticised both the High Court of Australia and the Family Court of Australia for judicial activism.

Albrechtsen has attracted vigorous criticism of her own. In 2002, the ABC's "Media Watch" program accused her of misquoting a French psychiatrist, Jean-Jacques Rassial, by changing "gang rape had become an initiation rite for male adolescents", to "Pack rape of white girls is an initiation rite of passage for a small section of young male Muslim youths", among multiple other misquotations. [cite web
url = http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/090902_s3.htm
title="Janet Albrechtsen's View" |author=Media Watch
publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date=9 September 2002 |accessdate=2007-06-06] Albrechtsen accused "Media Watch" of "misleading conduct of the kind you purport to expose", left-wing bias and ambush journalism. [cite web
url=http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/reply2.htm
title=Email from Janet Albrechtsen to Peter McEvoy
date=6 September 2002
accessdate=2007-06-06] The full exchange, along with letters and transcripts, is hosted on ABC's Media Watch website. [cite web
url=http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/muslim.htm
title=Media Watch, Muslims, Albrechtsen and Others
date=2002
accessdate=2007-10-11]

In February 2005 Albrechtsen was appointed by the Minister for Communications, Senator Helen Coonan to the board of the ABC [http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/janetalbrechtsen/index.php] . The appointment was criticised by former "Media Watch" host David Marr, among others. [cite web
last = Caldwell
first = Alison
title = ABC critic appointed to board of directors
publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date = 24 February 2005
url = http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2005/s1310461.htm
accessdate = 2007-04-30 ]

Albrechtsen had been a regular and vocal critic of the ABC prior to her appointment to its Board. Once appointed she undertook not to make further comments on the ABC in her newspaper columns Fact|date=June 2007.

She was married in 1991 to lawyer, John O'Sullivan, and now has 3 children, two daughters and a son, aged 14, 12 and 7.

References

External links

* [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,9277270-32523,00.html Albrechtsen's biography] at "The Australian"'s website
* [http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/janetalbrechtsen/index.php Archive of Albrechtsen's columns] with reader comments, from February 2007 onwards