This week on Q+A… Treasurer Jim Chalmers will answer your questions in a one-on-one special with Stan Grant. After a year in government, Labor has handed down its second Budget – but is there enough help for the millions of Australians struggling to make ends meet?

The Treasurer is spruiking a $4 billion surplus – the first in 15 years – but there is more pain to come. High inflation will linger for at least another year. And in the scheme of the overall budget, the much-hyped surplus is a drop in the ocean. Is it more about the politics than the economics?

Among the cost-of-living measures – more rent assistance, energy bill relief, a boost to bulk-billing and cheaper prescriptions. The single parent payment cutoff is being lifted from eight to 14 and there's a modest boost to JobSeeker, Austudy and Youth Allowance – but the extra money won't flow until September. And with the stage three tax cuts still in the mix, how much difference will the changes make?

The Opposition is accusing Labor of making life harder for working people, saying plans for an additional 1.5 million migrants over the next five years will put pressure on housing, transport and wages. Do Australians share these concerns?

And how does this budget align with Labor's claim to be good economic managers? Is it simply postponing some difficult decisions that must be made as the global economy continues to falter?

This week on Q+A… writing the wrongs of history as literary giant Shehan Karunatilaka joins the panel. This author's most recent work tackles civil war and its impacts in Sri Lanka, so what can this conflict teach us about geopolitics today and the polarisation that is plaguing contemporary societies?

Closer to home, supporters of Julian Assange had been hoping to appeal directly to the US President to stop his country's pursuit of the jailed Wikileaks founder, but those hopes were dashed as Joe Biden's visit was cancelled. Assange's family says his life is in the hands of the Australian government now. What more could politicians do to secure his release?

But while one state visit was cancelled, another was just beginning, with India's Prime Minister here for talks with Anthony Albanese. Narendra Modi is a divisive figure at home and abroad – will Australia tackle the tough issues with him as he faces claims of human rights violations against minority groups in India?

And as signs point towards a rapprochement with China, Australia still has a precarious path to follow – keeping the trade relationship on track while staying strong on defence. So just how difficult a balance is that to strike?

Joining Patricia Karvelas on the panel live in Sydney:

Jen Robinson, International human rights lawyer 
Shehan Karunatilaka, Booker Prize-winning author
James Blackwell, Research Fellow in Indigenous Diplomacy, Australian National University
Tim Watts, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs
Kevin Hogan, Shadow Minister for Trade & Tourism