The chancellor of the Australian National University has expressed her anger and frustration that the man on leave from a mental health facility was able to access the campus.
"Had we been informed by the relevant authorities that there was the possibility that this person could be in the vicinity of our campus, or could enter our campus, we could have increased our security," Julie Bishop said on the Today program.
"I was so angry that there was relevant information that was not passed on to the university and that's why I want the ACT government's review to address why we were not given relevant information on Monday," she said
The former foreign minister, who is now in the top role at the ANU, was reflecting on the events that left two students seriously injured with stab wounds and two others needing medical attention.
She also praised the way ANU staff dealt with the incident.
"The attacks occurred at 2.40pm on Monday, on the ANU campus and the ANU security team were notified within minutes," she said.
"Twelve of our security team were at the scene, in the meantime, the ACT police and ambulance were notified and they were on the scene within minutes, apprehended the man and took him into police custody at 2:51pm - In other words, it was 11 minutes from the time of the attack to the time the man was taken into custody."
Reporting on the incident is constrained by the fact that a man has been charged with attempted murders.
Ms Bishop's views came the day after the ACT government announced a review by the chief psychiatrist of the "individual circumstances surrounding this incident".
A statement said: "Subject to the outcomes of the chief psychiatrist's review and any recommendations for systemic change, the government will convene a dedicated working group to provide advice on matters that arise."
The review will take into account any current situations and also, as the statement puts it, "laws that prohibit the disclosure of personal medical information".
"The government is limited in what information can be made public. However, we will inform the community about aspects of the incident when we can."
ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said: "Certainly the chief psychiatrist is involved because of the mental health circumstances around this matter. Obviously we are limited in the way we can talk about the individual involved [but] the chief psychiatrist has a role to play."
"We're obviously keen to know why this individual was able to make their way to the ANU campus, the decisions that led up to that point and consider whether the safety provisions that were in place around this individual were met."
The accused man, Alex Leonard Ophel, was on day release from a mental health facility, nurses familiar with the situation have told The Canberra Times.
Ophel was on unescorted leave from Gawanggal Mental Health Unit, in Bruce, on Monday, September 18, when he allegedly injured four people, The Canberra Times has been told.
Ophel had previously spent time detained at Dhulwa mental health facility, which provides 24-hour treatment and care for adults with complex mental health needs.
Ophel was charged at the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday with two counts of attempted murder.
Two 20-year-old women are in hospital following the alleged stabbings. A student from Bateman's Bay is in a serious condition.
