Treasurers face-off in election debate August 7, 2013 - 6:30PM Chris Bowen and Joe Hockey clashed as expected in their first election campaign debate over the economy, the GST, employment and interest rates. But the debate also revealed both economic spokesmen seem to have a soft spot for their opposite leader - at a push. In the final stages of their half-hour debate on ABC radio, Mr Bowen was asked who he would be prefer to be stuck in a lift with on election night - Opposition Leader Tony Abbott or mining magnate and would-be parliamentarian Clive Palmer? "Tony Abbott," Mr Bowen responded with no hesitation. You can have a conversion with Tony that is interesting. Similarly, Mr Hockey was asked if who he would save first if he was struggling in water on the Kokoda trail - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd or former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson? "Kevin Rudd, that wasn't hard," replied Mr Hockey. The rest of the debate was less genial. Mr Hockey declined to say whether he would sack Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson despite his continued complaints over the government's and Treasury's numbers. I'm not the treasurer. I'm hoping to take his (Mr Bowen's) job and if I do get the opportunity to do his job then we will determine who are the right people for the job," Mr Hockey said. Mr Bowen was asked whether he and the government takes any responsibility for not producing a surplus in a decade, or blamed outside influences? "We take responsibility for everything as the government of the day," Mr Bowen said. Mr Hockey reiterated that the coalition had "no plans at all" to change the GST, and accused Labor of "predictably" running a scare campaign on the issue. He said the coalition would take any significant changes to the tax system to an election, unlike the Labor party.