A senior minister has criticised Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs for making "substantial errors of judgment" in criticising MPs and allowing her role to be politicised.
But the opposition says it is yet another example of the government attacking the messenger.
Professor Triggs last week had to back away from evidence she gave to a parliamentary committee accusing journalists of manufacturing quotes and quoting her out of context.
The commission president was quizzed about comments to The Saturday Paper in which she fumed at "seriously ill-informed and uneducated" politicians questioning her work.
Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne says giving that interview had been a mistake.
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"Gillian Triggs, I think, has made substantial errors of judgment in commenting on the political process and commenting on politicians," he told ABC TV on Sunday
"She is to stay out of politics and stick with human rights."
It was unfortunate Prof Triggs had ended up with a very high profile, he said.
"I am sure if you asked her she would probably be as disappointed and surprised as anybody that the Human Rights Commissioner has become a political figure when of course they should be an administrative one.
"Lots of other Human Rights Commissioners have never been heard of, they just got on with their job."
But he says the matter of whether the government still has confidence in Prof Triggs is one for the prime minister and attorney-general to decide.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten accused the government of attacking Prof Triggs to distract from its own poor performance over the past week.
"There they go again, the Liberal Party, attacking the messenger, attacking statutory office-holders," he told reporters in Burnie, Tasmania.
"Who haven't the Liberals attacked? Which experts haven't they brought a fight on with?"
