Reacting to Professor Triggs's assertion that "the prolonged, mandatory detention of asylum-seeker children causes them significant mental and physical illness and developmental delays, in breach of Australia's international obligations" and that the policy ought to be the subject of a royal commission, Attorney-General George Brandis expressed "surprise and disappointment" that the commission had waited until 2014 to consider its investigation "considering the problem was at its most acute before the 2013 election".

Immigration minister Peter Dutton dismissed the report's relevance, while his predecessor, Scott Morrison, scotched any possibility the government would agree to a judicial inquiry.

It was Tony Abbott, however, who manifested the harshest criticism, calling the report a "blatantly partisan politicised exercise" for which the commission "ought to be ashamed of itself". Said the Prime Minister: "I reckon the [HRC] ought to be sending a note of congratulations to Scott Morrison saying 'well done, mate, because your actions have been very good for the human rights and the human flourishing of thousands of people".

That the Coalition stopped the boats and, by extension, ended the loss of life at sea that sometimes occurred during voyages from Indonesia to Australia, is one of the government's proudest boasts, and it is not surprising Mr Abbott should have reacted as he did. And as Mr Dutton correctly states, stopping the boats and re-introducing temporary protection visas has resulted in a decrease in the numbers of children held in detention from around 2000 in the middle of 2013 to under 200 today. Surely a sign of progress rather than grounds for recrimination.

That the government might feel this way is understandable. It is reasonable too, that senior members might legitimately argue the numbers of children in detention spiked as a result of Labor's policies while in government from 2007-13. They could certainly wonder out loud why the HRC chose to launch its inquiries four months after the Coalition came to office in September 2013, and not before. In fairness to Professor Triggs, the report acknowledges Labor's role in reintroducing offshore transfers to Nauru and Manus Island, and the decision it took in August 2012 to freeze the assessment of claims, "leaving about 31,000 asylum-seeker families and children in a legal black hole".

By July 2013, detained children numbered 1992, at which point the HRC was canvassing internally the need for an inquiry. Professor Triggs's acknowledges that delaying the inquiry until after Labor left office was contentious in her introductory comments. "As the federal election was imminent," she stated, "I decided to wait the outcome … and any government changes in asylum-seeker policy before considering launching an inquiry".

A fair and reasonable explanation, perhaps. However, appearing before a Senate Estimate committee late last year, and after first stating she had not discussed an inquiry with anyone in the Labor government, Professor Triggs, admitted talking to two ministers about it. She also revealed she eventually took the decision to stage an inquiry without discussing the proposal with the new government, merely sending a letter informing them of her decision.

Accusing one's critics of partisanship to undermine their credibility is the oldest of political ploys. And as a Labor appointee – and the author of a number of other contentious recommendations regarding compensation for criminals held in immigration detention, Professor Triggs is a prime target for criticism by conservative politicians and commentators.

However, the HRC report has highlighted a number of troubling issues, not least being the incidence of assaults and self harm involving children on Manus and Nauru. While the Abbott government deserves credit for reducing the numbers of children held offshore, it should not simply shoot the messenger. It should instead concentrate on implementing those of the HRC's recommendations that would help ensure the good health and safety of those children remaining in detention.