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Consultations between the Morrison government and universities about Education Minister Dan Tehan’s proposed higher education reforms present a timely opportunity to allocate resources in the best interests of the sector and the economy, to the benefit of young adults facing years of serious employment challenges. Last week, we reported that Treasury head Steven Kennedy had warned business and union leaders that unemployment was set to remain significantly above its pre-­pandemic levels for four or five years. The “COVID generation” of young workers aged 20 to 29 were likely to be hardest hit. For many of them and for school-leavers, the outlook will reinforce the value of a university education.