We can't help but wonder if the growing push to fully fence the circuit at Mount Panorama might be another of those slow-burning topics that eventually ignites.

The appearance of kangaroos on the track during the running of the recent Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour has again put 'roos in the spotlight and Bathurst Regional Council must again investigate a more permanent solution.

We must be close to the point where a fully fenced circuit is the only option left.

Council has previously tried "shooing" 'roos from the area prior to hosting a major event and has also brought in contract shooters to cull hundreds of animals.

Neither approach proved very successful.

And (in the spirit of anything is worth trying once) council should be applauded for its support of the Bathurst Kangaroo Project's relocation program, but we must now acknowledge that something more needs to be done.

Mount Panorama remains Bathurst's most precious asset but even more precious are the drivers who race around it.

The lure of the Mount draws the best drivers from right across the globe to Bathurst for the chance to test their mettle against one of the world's most demanding tracks, but dodging wildlife should not be part of the deal.

As the host of these events, council has a responsibility to make the track as safe as possible.

While it's true that racing vehicles at around 300km/h brings with it its own inherent dangers, careful track design and the placement of barriers and sand traps around the circuit help mitigate some of the risks.

Further mitigating the risk of a kangaroo colliding with a car - and the terrible damage that would follow - must be the next priority.

Councillor Warren Aubin has been pushing this project for several years and he is starting to win more support in the chamber. Just how much support he needs to make it a reality remains to be seen, though.

Fencing both sides of a 6.2km circuit will be a costly project, but Bathurst needs to consider the potential cost of not doing it - both in terms of possible loss of human life and possible loss of racing on the track.

And if it has to happen, wouldn't we'd prefer it happen sooner rather than later?