New Athletics Australia head coach Craig Hilliard says regaining the trust of athletes is a top priority of his job.
A 33-year career coach, Hilliard replaces Eric Hollingsworth, who was sacked after a bitter furore with hurdling star Sally Pearson at last year's Commonwealth Games.
Hilliard has mended bridges with Pearson and her coach Ashley Mahoney but concedes a level of wider mistrust among athletes towards hierarchy.
"First and foremost for me, it will be engaging with the coaches and athletes," Hilliard told reporters on Monday.
"We need to build some trust and confidence back in the high performance system."
He described his relationship with Pearson, the face of Australian athletics, as strong.
"I have known Ash a long time actually and have also worked with Sally with a previous coach Sharon (Hannan) and we get on fine.
"I have already spent a bit of time with those guys up in Queensland. They are a good working unit so no issues there."
Hilliard, who started coaching at the Australian Institute of Sport in 1982 and has filled head coaching roles on a dozen Australian teams, said he was prepared to make tough decisions ahead of next year's Rio Olympics.
"You live and die by world champs and Olympics," he said.
"You're after results and athletes have to perform at major championships."
"I'm a good listener but also have to make tough decisions.
"And at the end of the day decisions are made around performance but also in a realistic fashion, you just don't cut people off at the hocks, you have to weigh up all the things and processes involved with every one of those athletes."
While his appointment is initially until the end of the Rio Games, Hilliard had longer term goals.
"In four years' time we're going to have a nice group of younger athletes who can step up and cut the mustard at the next Olympics," he said.
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