Australian Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has refused to resign, arguing the body would be undermined if she succumbed to pressure from the Abbott government.

Professor Triggs on Friday vowed not to bow to personal "attacks" from senior ministers, who have labelled her a partisan "disgrace" whose position has become untenable.

"I'm reasonably tough, I can cope with this," Professor Triggs told ABC radio. "But it's damaging in the sense that it's not about me, it's about the work we're doing."