West Australian Premier Roger Cook has leapt to the defence of the Environmental Defenders Office as the Coalition vowed to end federal funding of the law firm behind legal challenges of major oil and gas projects.

Speaking from Perth on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced he would defund the EDO if his party was returned to government.

The Albanese government has tipped $8.3 million into the firm since coming to power in 2022, while the Cook government funded the WA branch to the tune of $150,000 last financial year. The WA government has budgeted a further $150,000 over the next two years.

Despite harbouring its own concerns about the EDO, the WA government will continue its funding and Cook himself accused Dutton of engaging in “knee-jerk” politics.

“Well, the funding that goes into the whole environmental protection regime is about continuing to make sure that voices are heard in that debate,” Cook said.

“I think to simply move to the idea that you can defund the EDO is a knee-jerk, political retail sort of response to the situation.

“We know that the people of Western Australia and Australia want to protect our environment and see the responsible development of our resources, making sure all voices are heard, and that [court] process is an important part of that.”

Dutton, who cut his WA trip short to return to flood-affected areas in Queensland, said his government would defund the body because it was “a bunch of radical environmentalists not approaching situations with objectiveness”.

“The Environmental Defenders Office is a body which has been funded by the Albanese government to try and attack mining companies, and to try and stymie new developments, and to try and revisit approvals that have already been given,” he said.