I always get a laugh at the hypocrisy of animal welfare activists who openly promote murder. PALE, all predators are cruel. That's nature for you. You cannot sanitise it and by attempting to do so you will destroy it.

”…all predators are cruel.”
That’s true, freediver, but so what? People have hopefully evolved beyond merely acting as predators to survive.
Unlike most predators, human beings are aware and able to use alternative food sources.
Modern societies don't need to use cruel hunting methods to obtain our food and we don't need to torture animals in the name of science or religion.
Since whaling is extremely cruel and barbaric, and nobody’s life depends on eating whale meat I think that it should be stopped. I'm glad that other countries like Australia are speaking out against it.
And I don't mind if other countries have the sense to speak out against the animal abuse that happens in Australia, too.
The more voices, the better.

Animals don't care what part of the world help comes from, as long as someone speaks out. We are the world.

And why do we “need” to continue torturing animals for (pseudo) scientific reasons?
What makes this so-called research so significant that it justifies torturing whales?
We can assess the pain of other species and reason that it is immoral to inflict unnecessary pain upon them for frivolous reasons.

Luckily, in many countries, the attitudes of people towards animals are changing/have changed.
People with common sense and moral awareness can choose to stop the unnecessary abuse of animals.
If we want or need to eat meat, we should eat meat only of animals that have been bred, raised and killed in a humane way.

Killing whales for scientific reasons is just as immoral as torturing animals in scientific labs for research that is not needed.

"People have hopefully evolved beyond merely acting as predators to survive.

That is a misuse of the term 'evolve'. I don't think it is an improvement to try to deny our nature just because some have become uncomfortable with it. This is not an indication of an improved relationship with nature. It is a symtom of the disconnect from nature that has come from people paying others to do the dirty work for them in preparing their food. Not seeing how your food gets to your plate allows all sorts of hyprocrisy to creep in.

"Modern societies don't need to use cruel hunting methods to obtain our food

I would much prefer sustainable harvest of wild stocks to farming.

"Animals don't care what part of the world help comes from, as long as someone speaks out.

Anthropomorphism.

"And why do we “need” to continue torturing animals for (pseudo) scientific reasons?

Haven't you heard? It's about food, not science. However you do have to ahrvest to demonstrate that a harvest can be sustainable.