Q+A S2023E16 - Treasurer Jim Chalmers

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?