Australia's first federal human rights commissioner says both Tony Abbott and George Brandis have made a grave political error in maintaining their attack on Gillian Triggs.

The Prime Minister and his Attorney-General have criticised the credibility of Professor Triggs, the president of the Human Rights Commission, in the wake of a release of a damning report into children in detention.

Mr Abbott described the Human Rights Commission report as a "blatantly partisan, politicised exercise" and later said he had lost confidence in Professor Triggs.

Professor Brian Burdekin told AM the sustained attack was "disgraceful" and "politically stupid".

"I think it was not only misconceived, [but], quite frankly, totally inappropriate and disgraceful," he told AM's Elizabeth Jackson.

"I think from the feedback I've been getting - and I still obviously am in touch with a lot of people in the human rights arena: a lot of people in legal circles, a lot of people in non-government organisations who care for the most vulnerable and the most disadvantaged - the feedback has been universally, as far as I can perceive it, hostile to what the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General were trying to do.

"And to that extent I think it's politically quite unwise. I honestly don't understand why the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General felt it appropriate to do it."

Professor Burdekin said Senator Brandis did not appear to have a clear understanding of what his role of attorney-general entailed.

"To be honest, I am deeply concerned that the Attorney-General we have at the minute simply doesn't understand what the remit of the Human Rights Commission is," he said.

"I mean, he's actually talked about the fact that we really just need to rely on the Magna Carta. Well, the role of the Human Rights Commission, as Gillian Triggs has pointed out recently and as I pointed out many years ago, is to stand up for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in our community: the homeless, the mentally ill, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, children in detention.

"You won't find any of that in the Magna Carta, I can guarantee you.

"The things that the Human Rights Commission is obliged to do by law are directly related to those very vulnerable groups and its highest priorities have to be those who are least able to defend themselves.

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"And I think to attack the Human Rights Commission, albeit in a way that was completely unjustified on the facts, as far as I can see ... to hold the Commission or to place the Commission in a position where it's ridiculed and almost in a way that's contemptible and contemptuous in Federal Parliament: in my view, that's just disgraceful behaviour.

"And I don't think any Cabinet minister should behave that way and certainly not the Minister with portfolio responsibility for that Commission."

Professor Burdekin said the issue was fuelling speculation about Mr Abbott's leadership.

"If the Government itself is accusing that organisation of somehow being in breach of its statutory responsibilities, a) that's wrong; b) it's inappropriate; c) I think it's politically stupid; and d) my own perception is that an increasing number of Australians think it's not only bad behaviour but will take that into account in terms of the way they vote at the next election," he said.

AM requested an interview with the Attorney-General but he did not respond.