ACT Government asked to release report into alleged ANU stabbing by admitted mental health patient
Calls are mounting for the ACT Government to release the full report into the alleged stabbing of female students at the Australian National University by an admitted mental health patient.
Canberra Star
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The ACT Government has been lashed by their political counterparts after reports their administration will not release a report surrounding the alleged stabbing at the Australian National University by an admitted patient of the territory’s health system.
Ilysha Perry and Isabelle Vasudeva, both 20, were allegedly attacked by former undergraduate Alex Leonard Ophel, 24, at the prestigious campus in Acton on September 18.
Police allege about 2.40pm Ophel initially hit a male student with a fry pan before he stabbed Ms Perry and Ms Vasudeva and punched a second male student in the face.
The campus plunged into chaos as the 24-year-old former university student was arrested. He has since been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two of common assault and one of possessing an object to be used to kill.
He is in custody and is matter is still before the courts.
It’s understood Ophel was let out of the Gawanggal Mental Health Unit in Bruce for a bushwalk the day of the alleged attacks at ANU.
Gawanggal is a 10-bed community rehabilitation and reintegration unit located at the North Canberra Hospital, according to the ACT Government’s website.
Shadow Mental Health Minister Ed Cocks said Canberra deserved to know when something goes wrong in the mental health system and what was being done to address the significant issues.
“It is incredibly concerning to hear that the minister has no intention of releasing this report in full,” Mr Cocks said.
“Both the Dhulwa Secure Mental Health Facility, and the Gawanggal unit at the centre of this incident are located in close proximity to vulnerable people, and the government must reveal exactly what has gone wrong.”
Mr Cocks said various details of both the incident and the events leading up to it, including the identity of the alleged offender, were already public knowledge.
“If the minister persists in hiding the full story, it will continue to undermine trust in Canberra’s mental health system,” he said.
Ms Davidson said the QAC [Quality Assurance Committee] report will be provided to the responsible Director General before the end of 2023.
“However, it will not be released publicly due to the strict privacy of protected information provisions under the Health Act 1993,” she said.
“Advice will be sought from the Chief Psychiatrist to consider what information can be released publicly without compromising the privacy and confidentiality of people involved.”
Ms Davidson said there will be an additional expanded review report that addresses systemic issues impacting community safety concerns and processes around therapeutic treatment, and this expanded review report will be released publicly.
Speaking to media from the Canberra Hospital on September 25, Ms Perry’s mother Fiona Coffey said her daughter would have “serious long term issues” from the alleged stabbing.
Its understood Ms Perry and Ms Vasudeva have both left hospital.
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