Leo Schofield's comments are derogatory, ignorant and right out of step with what the vast majority of people are saying about Tasmania.
We have record numbers of tourists visiting the state, which has been ranked in the top four 2015 "must see" destinations in the world by Lonely Planet.
Tourism Australia chose Tasmania to host its prestigious "Invite the World to Dinner" event at MONA, a truly world class arts attraction, and we support many other exceptional events and festivals.
We have the best boutique hotel in the world, our whisky is voted amongst the best in the world, and the best Australian novelist of our time, Tasmanian author, Richard Flanagan, has won the Man Booker prize for the best novel in the world.
The Liberal government is a strong supporter of the arts and while we were disappointed that Mr Schofield chose to leave the state after being offered the exact same amount of public funding for his event, there is much more to celebrate and look forward to in Tasmania.