One of the first decisions of the new Labor Government when it meets tomorrow will be how to fulfil its election promise to send the Australian Navy south to monitor Japanese whale hunters.

Incoming environment minister Peter Garrett will raise the issue when cabinet holds its first meeting tomorrow after being sworn in by Governor-General Michael Jeffery.

During the election campaign Labor pledged to send the navy or long-range aircraft to gather evidence against Japanese whale hunters in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary to use in court action.

"It will be one of the first things raised when cabinet meets," a spokesman for Mr Garrett said. "Using the navy is about heightening the pressure on Japan to stop killing whales."

Meanwhile two young Australians are prepared to risk their lives to stop the whale hunt when their anti-whaling ship leaves for the Southern Ocean on Wednesday.

Carly McDermott, 23, and Stephen Bennett, 24, are part of the 40 crew of the Robert Hunter flying the pirate skull and bones flag, which leaves Melbourne on Wednesday determined to battle the whale hunters.

The sinister looking matt black ship is skippered by Captain Paul Watson, founder of the radical Sea Shepherd group, which has rammed and sunk whaling ships.

Last year the ship clashed violently with Japanese whaling ships, colliding in mid-ocean with the whaling mother ship with its secret weapon - a "can opener" attached to its deck to slice open the hull of other ships.

Japanese whale hunters will arrive in the Southern Ocean in coming weeks to start killing more than 1000 whales, including 50 fin whales, 50 threatened humpback whales and 935 minke whales.

"We are not going there to protest and wave banners; we are going there to stop them killing whales," Mr Bennett, from Perth, said.

"We are not a protest ship. We are going to uphold the law. What they are doing is illegal and against international treaties. We will do whatever we have to do to shut them down."

Mr Bennett said he hoped the navy would force the whale hunters to go home, but he doubted it.

"All they have to do is uphold international law and get them out of the whale sanctuary. It doesn't make me feel safer if the navy is there. We will do what we have to do regardless."

Ms McDermott, of Essendon, will be on the bridge.

"We will be at sea for two months. I hope it won't come to a physical clash and everyone will be safe. It's my first time at sea and I will be learning, but it is scary," she said.

"I think it will be exciting but a little bit of fear is good. What they are doing is illegal and immoral and somebody has to stop them."

Captain Watson will be at war with Greenpeace as much as the whale hunters.

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza will also be shadowing the whale fleet as it heads south.

Greenpeace says Captain Watson's confrontational tactics only result in Japan digging in its heels.

Greenpeace chief executive Steve Shallhorn said non-violence was the most effective way to stop whaling.

"We go down to the Southern Ocean to stop whales from being killed and we do that by putting ourselves between the whale and the harpoon," Mr Shallhorn said.

But Captain Watson makes no apologies.

"You don't sit there and watch a whale being harpooned and killed and do nothing except take its picture," he said.

"Basically, they're producing whale snuff flicks. How many more whales do we have to see die?"