Some Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade staff are annoyed Prime Minister Tony Abbott's daughter Louise is working at Australia's embassy in Geneva, which is headed by former Coalition staffer Peter Woolcott.

But a spokesman for DFAT said the job helping represent Australia to the United Nations was awarded on the basis of merit.

Jealousy over plum jobs in overseas locations was a staple of workplace life at DFAT, but departmental insiders said there were concerns over Ms Abbott being hired in Geneva, given the political connections of the mission's boss.

Mr Woolcott was chief of staff to foreign minister Alexander Downer from 2002 to 2004 while on secondment from the department. He had been a career officer for the department since the early 1980s.