An internal survey paints a bleak picture of morale at the Home Affairs Department.

The Australian Public Service (APS) Employee Census for the department shows just a third of Home Affairs staff see their executives as being of “high quality”.

Thirty-nine per cent of staff call Home Affairs a “good place to work”, compared to the APS average of 65 per cent.

Just 35 per cent said Home Affairs inspired them to do their best work and 39 per cent stated that the department cares about their “health and wellbeing”. Both of these stats are about 20 per cent lower than the views of the broader public service.

Just 25 per cent of the 9,000 Home Affairs staff surveyed said they felt valued for their work.

Most staff appeared to have higher opinions of their immediate supervisors.

Still, Labor home affairs spokesperson Kristina Keneally said the results reveal a “poisonous culture” that results in “poor outcomes”.

“This report card lays bare Peter Dutton's incompetence, failure to lead his Department and inability to adequately support staff at the frontline of serving and protecting Australia's borders and national security,” Senator Keneally said.

“Any chairman or CEO in the private sector would hang their heads in shame with this kind of incompetent result.”

A spokesperson for the department pointed out that the results had “moderately improved across most areas”.

“It is important to note that our operating environment and functions are unique, and as such high-level comparisons and rankings may not adequately reflect the nuances of the work we do and context in which we do this work,” the spokesperson told the ABC.

“Perceptions of performance management largely remained steady while perceptions about capability and development improved, supporting the positive perceptions most staff have about their immediate supervisors.”