Conservationists are urging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to make a last ditch appeal to Japan's Shinzo Abe to halt the slaughter of whales under way in waters near Antarctica.
Japan has sent its whaling fleet to the Southern Ocean with the intention of killing more than 330 minke whales for what it describes as scientific research.
The hunt has resumed despite an international court ruling in 2014 in a case brought by Australia that declared Japan's whaling to be illegal.
Activists from the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd have dispatched two ships in a bid to disrupt the hunt but are yet to find the giant Japanese abattoir vessel, Nisshin Maru.
Mr Turnbull will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Mr Abe in Sydney on Saturday, describing the meeting as an "excellent opportunity" to discuss trade, defence and community links.
But conservation groups are demanding Australia's opposition to whaling be top of the agenda during Mr Abe's one day visit.
"Australians are totally opposed to Japan's cruel and unnecessary 'scientific' whaling," said Rebecca Keeble from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg led an Australian delegation in October to a global summit on whaling to demand more scrutiny of Japan's claim to kill whales in the name of science.
But the government has refused to send a patrol vessel to Antarctic waters to monitor the Japanese whaling fleet as has been done in previous years.
The Coalition has also backed away from threats of launching a fresh legal challenge, while ties with Japan became strained last year after the government knocked back a Japanese bid to build the $50 billion submarine fleet.
Sea Shepherd's new $12 million fast ship Ocean Warrior tracked one of Japan's hunting vessels behind an iceberg in the days before Christmas, reporting the harpoon guns on the vessel were uncovered in the search for whales.
But weather conditions in the area have been torrid and the activists did not see any whales being killed before breaking off to resume the search for the Nisshin Maru.
Two other Japanese ships were spotted around New Year by a helicopter launched from the other activist ship, Steve Irwin.
Japan has previously slammed Sea Shepherd's high seas project as sabotage and endangering the lives of crew.
Sea Shepherd's Jeff Hansen said the Turnbull government had turned a blind eye to Japan's whale hunt in waters declared by Australia to be protected.
"For Mr Abe to enter into Australia while his whale murdering fleet are operating in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary, killing whales, is extremely arrogant and highlights the fact that he feels completely welcomed by our government," Mr Hansen said.
Mr Turnbull's office has been contacted for comment.
