Earlier this week Northern Tablelands Labor MLC Michael Veitch criticised the state government, and Mr Marshall, for failing schools in the New England.

Documents published by NSW Labor, obtained under Freedom of Information laws,  had indicated Armidale and Duval High Schools ranked in the top 10 worst-maintained schools in the New England.

 Armidale High School is in need of $1.48 million worth of infrastructure works and Duval High School needs  $1.05 million worth of maintenance, Mr Veitch said. 

However, Mr Marshall said up to $58 million had been spent on schools in the Northern Tablelands in the past four years .

“Almost $58 million has been spent on maintenance and capital improvements projects in public schools within the Northern Tablelands electorate over the last four years,” he said. 

Mr Marshall said that the Department of Education’s Asset Unit staff had visited  Armidale and Duval High Schools in recent months to scope out further capital and maintenance works as part of plans to reduce the backlog.

The previous NSW Labor Government had left behind a school infrastructure and maintenance backlog liability of almost $1 billion, he said.

“The backlog as at 30 June 2015 was $732 million, a reduction of around $270 million” Mr Marshall said.

“The total value of NSW public schools’ assets is $26.5 billion and a maintenance backlog of $732 million represents less than 3 per cent.  “Maintenance is ongoing and prioritised in consultation with local principals.”

Mr Veitch had taken aim at the government’s handling of the works, stating that “the maintenance backlog is spiralling out of control under Baird’s Liberal-National Government and the Nationals’ Adam Marshall and Kevin Anderson are doing nothing about it”.

Mr Marshall said the state government had spent millions of dollars on maintenance works for schools in the last few years.

“Since 2011 the state government has invested more than $4 billion in school infrastructure to ensure students have the best possible learning environments,” he said.  “The total capital investment in NSW public school education services infrastructure in 2015-16 is almost $456 million.

“This investment represents a 27 per cent increase … in just over four years, 23 new or relocated public schools have been funded and 50 major upgrade projects announced.

“The Department of Education’s Asset Unit staff have been at both Armidale and Duval High Schools in recent  months scoping out further capital and maintenance items to receive attention as the backlog continues to be  reduced,” he said.