The 59-year-old resigned from his role as British Cycling technical director last April following allegations of bullying and sexism.

Sprinter Jess Varnish claimed Sutton had told her she was "too old" and that she should "go and have a baby" when telling the 25-year-old that her contract was not to be renewed.

It followed her missing out on a team sprint berth at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.

A British Cycling investigation concluded in October that Sutton had used "inappropriate and discriminatory language".

A leaked letter revealed that Sutton was found to have used the word "bitches" to Varnish, but a remaining eight claims were dismissed.

Six-time Paralympic champion Darren Kenny also alleged that Sutton had made derogatory remarks.

The Australian denies the claims and last month it emerged he was in contention for the role in his home country.

Cookson, previously the President of British Cycling, believes Sutton retains a lot of support and could help the Australian team.

"Perhaps a number of people didn't find his approach agreeable, but many people did, and the proof of the pudding is in the number of medals he won," Cookson said, according to the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

"If you look around, if you look at some of the negative things people have said, there are a number of people who have said positive things about him.

"I have a great respect for him.

"It [the Cycling Australia role] is not a matter for me, but Shane is a man whom I have a great amount of respect for."

An independent review into the culture of Britain's World Class Programme, jointly commissioned by British Cycling and UK Sport, is expected to be published next month.

Led by Annamarie Phelps, the chairman of British Rowing, the review was launched in April to look at any lessons the National Federation could learn.

The treatment of women in cycling is a subject which will come to attention tomorrow when Beijing 2008 Olympic champion Nicole Cooke gives evidence to a British Parliament Culture, Media and Sport Committee as part of their "combating doping in sport enquiry".

Appearing via video-link, Cooke is expected to cover issues raised at the Committee's evidence session last month with British Cycling and Team Sky.

Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford revealed at the session that he had been told that fluimucil, a decongestant, was delivered during the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine.

The product, used to treat coughs and sore throats, is at the centre of a probe related to coach Simon Cope, who travelled from Geneva to La Toussuire with requested medication on June 12, 2011.

Britain's five-time Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins won the seven-stage race, a traditional build-up to the Tour de France.

Cooke questioned how Cope, the publicly funded national women’s team road manager at the time, was used to courier the package in an article after the session.

The evidence provided by Cooke, an outspoken critic of sexism and drug use in cycling, could make for more uncomfortable reading for British Cycling, whose chief executive Ian Drake stepped down last week.

Cookson, President of British Cycling at the time they founded Team Sky, believes it would be disappointing if it was discovered they had committed any offence.

"Of course it's frustrating when a high-profile athlete in our sport is open to controversy and allegations, but let's see what comes out of the inquiry," he told AAP.

"I think the important thing here is that we let the UK Anti-Doping inquiry run its course.

"When I was President of British Cycling, when setting up a professional team that we had major involvement in, we wanted to make sure that the team had the highest standards of ethics possible.

"And if that slipped, I would be very surprised and disappointed."