It could be got rid of at a stroke by the ref simply adding the time on. I don't know why they are so scared to add on plenty of extra time when a team has been time wasting, stupid last minute subs etc. The TV schedule excuse doesn't wash either (not that it applies to our games), there's always at least half an hour of interviews and punditry after the game so there's no damage in cutting into that.
If refs added double the time wasted to a game you would get the great spectacle of a winning side rushing to take goal kicks and throw ins.
I think there was a proposal to have a play clock that is ~30 minutes per half that is only active when the ball is in play but it was generally thought to be a bad idea. It’s a shame, I think this could have been quite effective to get rid of all the attempted time wasting, slow throw ins, restarts and the tedious walk off substitutions.