Labor has made a commitment to strengthen federal protection of the environment if elected, reversing what environment groups have seen as a sustained attack by the Abbott-Turnbull governments.

Since it was elected in 2013, the Coalition has weakened federal environmental laws by giving states the power to grant environmental approval under federal laws, despite states not meeting federal standards for those approvals.

They have also defunded Environmental Defenders Offices (EDOs), which work to get inappropriate approvals overturned in court, and sought to remove the legal standing of conservation groups in mounting those challenges.

Federal Labor already opposed the devolving of federal environmental approvals to states, but all states and territories – including Labor states – agreed to the changes.

Labor’s environment spokesman, Mark Butler, announced that if elected, Labor would reverse all those moves, refunding EDOs, retaining federal powers of approval under federal laws and going further to explore options for an independent environmental protection agency, free of government influence.

The Greens also recently announced a policy, calling for a national environmental protection agency of this sort.

The Labor announcement comes in the wake of a concerted campaign from environment groups, urging the government and opposition parties to pledge to strengthen federal environment laws.

“In the first 100 days of forming government, a Shorten Labor government will convene an expert reference group to work in partnership with industry and environmental groups to develop the detail of the new environment laws,” Butler said, announcing the policy.

Labor’s policy document defends the role of Environmental Defenders Offices and the role of environmental NGOs. “EDOs play a vital role in general environment protection work as well as providing access to justice for individuals and groups who could not otherwise afford to take on large companies whose proposed actions may have adverse impacts on those individuals and communities,” it read.

“Stopping community groups, farmers and NGOs from challenging decisions in the courts is fundamentally undemocratic.”

The policy announcement was welcomed by environmental organisations, who have been calling for an overhaul of federal environmental laws, and specifically for an independent environmental approval agency.

The Australian Conservation Foundation’s campaigns director, Paul Sinclair, said: “ACF supports effective and efficient federal environmental laws and strong national oversight.”

WWF spokesman Nick Heath said said stronger federal laws were urgently needed to protect Australia’s threatened species and habitats like the Great Barrier Reef. “Our existing laws are clearly no longer working to protect the thousands of native species now listed as threatened.”

Glen Klatovsky, director of the Places You Love alliance that represent more than 40 environmental groups, said law reform was long overdue. “We need a legal framework that does not just limit environmental damage but actually gives better environmental outcomes,” said Klatovsky.

“We need independent assessment of development. Currently the developer hires the assessor. Nobody can have faith with that.

“The Greens and now Labor are calling for reform and looking at an independent national environment protection agency. The Coalition should also support an independent national environment protection agency since it has been campaigning for one-stop-shop environmental approvals.”