Australia wants 'scientific whaling' ended

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg will represent Australia at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Slovenia.

Australia will push for a permanent end to all forms of whaling at an international meeting. (AAP)

Australia will push for a permanent end to all forms of whaling at an international meeting in Slovenia.

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg will ask the International Whaling Commission to take greater responsibility for how it deals with so-called scientific whaling, a camouflage used by Japanese whalers in the Antarctic Ocean.

"For too long, the commission has deferred responsibility for so-called scientific whaling to its scientific committee," Mr Frydenberg said ahead of travelling to the commission's biennial meeting.

"The commission must be more engaged on this important and divisive issue and form its own conclusions."

The minister plans to build support for two Australian-led resolutions aimed at getting the commission to better deal with "scientific" whaling and bring it more in line with best practice for multilateral treaty bodies.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the global moratorium on commercial whaling and 70 years since the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was made.

At least 45 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises are found in Australian waters and Mr Frydenberg says the government takes seriously its obligations to protect them.