Sky News host Chris Smith says there is nothing learned from a “senseless shooting spree revisited” amid the production of a new film which depicts one of Australia’s worst massacres.

The controversial film depicts the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre which saw the mass shooting of 35 people.

“There’s a very good reason why Tasmanians refuse to utter that name of the gunman, and that’s because we know that he wanted as much notoriety as possible,” Mr Smith said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was “unnerved” about the production of the film as the massacre “scarred us as a nation”.

The writer of the film, Shaun Grant, was quoted saying “I’m a big believer in the idea that evil repeats itself if we don’t shine a light on it and examine it”.

“That does not apply in this case,” Mr Smith said.

“Not only was the massacre the most covered criminal case in Australian media history at the time, it led positively to the banning of semi-automatic weapons.

“If that hadn’t happened, you could almost understand the reason for releasing such a film.

“But we have become a safer nation … I won’t be watching it, and I’ll be joining Tasmanians in never mouthing the name of the evil animal who committed that massacre ever again.”