Ms Walker defended her protest on Thursday afternoon, challenging Mr Marshall to a debate.

“If Adam Marshall is so confident that his Liberal-National government’s plans to sell off TAFE campuses and replace them with computer terminals is the best way forward for regional communities, then I challenge him to a debate on the issue,” she said on Thursday afternoon.

“He can choose the time and the place, but let’s allow the people of regional NSW decide who has the best way forward for TAFE.

“Instead of throwing tantrums at the Greens for standing up for TAFE, the Minister should spend more time listening to students and TAFE teachers across regional NSW who are very concerned about the changes the Nationals have introduced that are undermining TAFE.”

Farifax Media has contacted Mr Marshall regarding the debate and is awaiting a response. 

EARLIER:

Adam Marshall has labelled Greens MP Dawn Walker’s actions as “deceptive” following her protest against TAFE Connected Learning Centres across the region this week.

The local Nationals MP said Ms Walker owed the community “an apology” for slamming the new multi-million dollar digital hubs which are currently being rolled out in Glen Innes and Tenterfield, with headquarters in Armidale.

“Dawn Walker either has no idea about what’s going on or is deliberately trying to deceive the community,” Mr Marshall told Fairfax Media after Ms Walker visited the Glen Innes campus on Wednesday.

“I’m astounded by it and quite frankly, disgusted by it.

“I think she actually owes the community of Glen Innes an apology for trying to blow into town saying ‘this is bad, and you deserve a second-rate TAFE campus’, rather than a first-class facility that we’re currently building.”

The Greens MP rallied across the region this week as part of her Teachers Not Terminals tour.

“The National Party [wants] to sell-off our TAFE campuses, cut teaching staff and replace face-to-face learning with online modules in tacky shopfronts,” she said.

But Mr Marshall said she should stop hiding behind “cheap political rhetoric … which is not only deceptive, it’s just plainly not true – it’s false”.

“If she had bothered to pick up the phone and speak to either me or even to TAFE, she would have been able to find out all of the information,” Mr Marshall said.

“Rather than selling TAFE campuses and cutting staff – actually the opposite is true.

“In Glen Innes, we are doubling the number of full-time teachers, we are doubling the number of courses available in addition to what is currently at the TAFE campus.”

Ms Walker also said the new CLCs would be disastrous for face-to-face learning.

But Mr Marshall said the facts found otherwise.

“That’s absolute rubbish as well because we’re increasing the number of full-time teachers … to teach face-to-face, extra students that will come in and study the extra course offered,” he said.

“I think she’s been left, as a Greens MP, quite red-faced.”