What do you have to do to get a clearance these days?

[Ultralights]

9 Pm, sunday night, Bankstown airport, plan submitted to depart YSBK D zone into C and head over the top of Richmond for Dubbo... waited at holding point to runway 11C for 20 FRIGGIN MINUTES waiting for a clearance to depart, all we heard at YSSY was 1 flight outbound to the east, and another 50 miles north. sure enough, we waited until the controller had the inbound flight on the ground at YSS before we got our clearance...