AIS boss Matt Favier says it would be "naive" to think the doping scandal engulfing athletics is limited to Russia, but hopes the public will trust Australian athletes and the diligence they show in anti-drugs programs.
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The sporting world is still reeling from the damning World Anti-Doping Agency report into drug use, corruption and criminal behaviour in the IAAF and with Russian athletes.
It has cast a dark cloud over athletics as the sport fights for respect after the report suggested Russia should be banned from the Rio Olympic Games and that the London event in 2012 was "sabotaged". "".
Favier has the upmost confidence in Australia's anti-performance enhancing drug programs and that athletes are clean as they aim for Rio next year.
The former 800-metre runner also hoped that athletics could use the revelations as a watershed moment to make the changes necessary to earn integrity.
"What I can say around Australia is that we take integrity in sport very seriously, we have in place a series of governance mechanisms that we hope mitigate some of that risk to ensure there are good systems to protect athletes," Favier said.
"No one wants to read [about the Russian corruption], but the sports like athletics need to have an honest conversation. We hope this will lead to some significant changes in practices around the world.
"It's highly likely that people will feel their trust in the sport has been misplaced, that's disappointing. They'll have to work to instil that again. I'd like to say this is the only issue, but there's been a series and there's a need to genuinely address these challenges and rebuild the faith."
Asked if he thought the drug cheating and corruption in the sport were more widespread than just Russia, Favier said: "I think to suggest that Russia is the only nation where there are these issues would be naive."
The report recommended that Russia be banned from international competitions after it discovered a "deeply-rooted culture of cheating".
AIS race walker Jared Tallent is expected to be awarded a retrospective gold medal from the 2012 Olympics after the man who beat him, Sergey Kirdyapkin, was caught up in corruption and cheating.
The news broke as more than 150 athletes and coaches converged on the AIS in Canberra for an inaugural forum to bring together some of the best minds in Australian sport.
The conference is designed to open communication channels between different sports and coaches to ensure Australian athletes maintain their standing at the top of the world.
Two-time Olympic gold-medal track cyclists Anna Meares said: "All I can worry about is what I can do. I have no influence on the circumstances in Russia.
"My position has always been very strong and very integral in terms of anti-doping. Unfortunately, I think until the reprimand or the risk of being caught is as great as the benefit or reward that sport can give you, you'll always have people looking for shortcuts and to take the easy road.
"As far as I'm concerned, I'll continue on the path that I'm going and doing all the right things, working as hard as I can and talking to anyone about those issues.
"It is an issue that needs to be constantly worked on and hopefully the drug-testing bodies catch up with issues going on internationally."
Australian athletes are regularly tested by ASADA and, ironically, Tallent was woken by drug-testers just hours after the Russian bombshell emerged.
Tallent and several race walkers are at the AIS for a nutrition camp as they search for a clean edge to their Olympic preparations.
"We're really confident around the processes that exist around the way sports are operating in Australia," Favier said.
"We really need to trust and believe that there is, from an AIS and [Australian Sports Commission] point of view, a high level of confidence and comfort that there are great systems around the sports.
"We're really diligent with our partner agencies. I would want for people to really be trusting and confident in the work that is being done by athletes like Anna."
