Once the electorate forms an opinion about a person or their party, the theory goes, it can be very hard to change it.

And if that is really the case, then Calare MP Andrew Gee has some work to do with Bathurst voters.

Mr Gee has been asked to explain why Bathurst Regional Council has been left waiting almost a year for news about their application for federal black spot funding towards the cost of a new roundabout at the city’s worst intersection while two new roundabouts have been fully funded in Orange over the past few months.

It was in June last year – 20 years after the project was first recommended by council’s own engineers – that councillors finally voted to go ahead with a roundabout at the intersection of Lambert, Mitre and Suttor streets at West Bathurst.

Council set aside money in the 2017-18 budget to meet half the estimated $1.7 million bill for the roundabout in the hope that federal black spot funding would be made available for the other half.

Almost a full year down the track, though, council and roundabout advocates are still waiting for an answer from the federal government.

That is frustrating enough but, naturally, their concerns are further heightened when they see money being spent so freely just up the road in Orange.

A $635,000 roundabout was opened at the intersection of Woodward and Moulder streets in June 2017 while just last week Mr Gee welcomed the opening of a $225,000 roundabout at Wakeford Street, Winter Street and Icely Road, near Canobolas Rural Technology High School

Is a particularly bad look for Mr Gee given he was previously the state member for the Orange electorate.

For his part, Mr Gee has denied any favouritism and accuses those suggesting otherwise of political point scoring.

And there may be something in that, too [Councillor Alex Christian is a former member of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party that is openly targeting Nationals seats] but the perception remains that Mr Gee’s former stamping ground is getting more than it share of this funding.

And, as always, perception is reality – and the people of Bathurst have every right to ask just what is going on. We wait to see if those answers are forthcoming.