Capn Bloggs,
It isn't usually quite that bad in my experience, (others may be able to shed more light on it though).
Having said that, it isn't a one off either. I've waited in the queue over 30 mins on a number of occasions now in the last 12 months.
As Direct no speed said, Perth is fast becoming a victim of its own success, for a multitude of reasons, and not only ATC.
I would have expected, and operators would have appreciated a notam, or even just a heads up on the ATIS advising of the anticipated delays for taxiing, so that we don't have punters and cabin crew in the back wondering why we even bothered to board. That, I wouldn't think, was too much to ask.
As for launching the aircraft, Air Services Australia ought to be ashamed of themselves. Not only from a staff shortage point of view, but also an airspace structure point of view. Surely the amount of traffic and movements at Perth Airport now is enough to justify shedding the restricted airspace at Pearce, or at the very least, moving it further north out of the way so as to not create a bottle neck up the Kajun 7, Nambu 4, Bindi 8, Brook 2 and down the Taska 7, Jenna 5, Gossi 3 and so on.
The problem can't be fixed overnight, obviously, but there are interim (and cheap) measures that can be taken to ease the pressure in the meantime.
But hey, it's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys.
520.