Janet Albrechtsen

Janet Albrechtsen
Born	(1966-09-23) September 23, 1966 Adelaide, Australia
Occupation(s)	Opinion writer, journalist, former commercial lawyer, academic
Years active	1990s–present
Known for	Opinion writing for The Australian; member of the ABC Board (2005–2010)

Janet Kim Albrechtsen (born 23 September 1966) is a prominent Australian opinion writer affiliated with The Australian. Between 2005 and 2010, she held a position on the board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the nation's public broadcaster.

Early life and education

Albrechtsen was born in Adelaide to parents who had emigrated from Denmark. She attended Seacombe High School prior to obtaining a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Adelaide. She later earned a Doctor of Juridical Science degree at the University of Sydney, where her dissertation concentrated on enhancing the regulatory framework for fundraising activities in Australia.

Career

Relocating to Sydney, Albrechtsen began her career as a commercial lawyer at Freehills and also lectured at the University of Sydney Law School. Transitioning into journalism and commentary, she has written for publications including the Australian Financial Review, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Quadrant, Canada's National Post and Vancouver Sun, as well as The Wall Street Journal and its Asia edition.

From 2003 to 2007, she was a member of the Foreign Affairs Council. In 2005, despite having previously described the ABC as resembling a "Soviet-style workers collective," Albrechtsen was appointed to its board, completing her five-year tenure in 2010 without pursuing reappointment. Later, in 2014, she participated in an independent nomination committee advising the Minister for Communications on selecting candidates for the ABC Board.

In 2008, Albrechtsen contributed a chapter to Peter van Onselen's book The Liberals and Power, where she argued that the Liberal Party had prioritized "dominating the rational low ground," effectively conceding the moral high ground to their left-wing opponents. Historian Norman Abjorensen recognized her analysis of John Howard’s tenure as significantly impactful on both Australia's economy and the Labor Party.

In 2014, she conducted an extensive interview series with former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard, which was broadcast on Seven Network's Sunday Night program and later presented as a five-part series titled Howard Defined on Sky News Australia.

Between 2014 and 2017, Albrechtsen served as director and chaired the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee at the National Museum of Australia. She joined the board of the Institute of Public Affairs in 2016, assuming the role of chair from July 2018 until November 2019, succeeding Rod Kemp. Furthermore, she acts as an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.

Commentary

Albrechtsen’s political stance reflects libertarian ideals, emphasizing respect for individual dignity, minimizing government intervention, and promoting personal accountability, as highlighted by the Institute of Public Affairs. Her advocacy includes calls for prudent government financial management and addresses topics such as political correctness, identity politics, contemporary 'grievance feminism', censorship within academic environments, freedom of speech, and strengthening civil society.

Personal life

Albrechtsen was formerly married to attorney John O'Sullivan, who is known to be an acquaintance of Malcolm Turnbull. The couple has since separated. Together, they have three children, one of whom is Sascha O'Sullivan, who has pursued a career in journalism with The Australian.

External links

• Archive of Janet Albrechtsen's articles at The Australian