Australia is launching legal action to stop Japanese whaling in Antarctic waters.
The federal government promised to do this before the last election, but had recently deferred action until November 2010 at the earliest.
But on Friday, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the government would lodge a formal application in the International Court of Justice in The Hague next week.
"Australia will initiate action in the International Court of Justice, seeking to prevent Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean," Mr Smith told reporters in Sydney.
Mr Smith said he spoke to his counterpart in Japan before the announcement and both of them agreed the case would not disturb the country's international relationship.
Federal Environment Protection Minister Peter Garrett joined Mr Smith for the announcement and said Japan's so-called `scientific' whaling program must end.
"We want to see an end to whales being killed in the name of science in the Southern Ocean," Mr Garrett told reporters.
