Senator pushes for CGT bill to be split

"We've seen huge changes introduced by the government, and they are actively avoiding scrutiny. I think the Senate should do its job and actually split this bill," he said.

"For the changes to housing, the case has been well made. The WATO, the $250 for working Australians, those things should be able to pass. We should take more time to look at the rest of it, to look at the broad changes to CGT across all asset classes, and just make sure as a Senate, that we get that right."

Pocock said he would work with the other parties and independents to make the necessary changes to the bill and minimise unintended consequences.

"These changes are complex, they do need time, and we should be looking at the impact on things like startups and small businesses," he said.

"Canberra is the start-up capital of Australia, and I want to make sure that we are not cutting off capital that is desperately needed to grow startups here in Australia to critically make sure that they stay here."

Pocock said that while a case has been made for changing the tax settings for the housing system, further consultation is needed before applying the changes across the board.

"As someone on the crossbench, I've been making the case to change our tax rules around investment properties since I was elected four years ago. So I fully support that, and really welcome the Treasurer bringing that forward," he said.

"It was a shock to everyone that that was across the board, and I don't think one, the case hasn't been made, and the details haven't been sorted out, and it's not good enough for a government to basically say let's ram this through parliament, and the Treasurer will just make rules down the track and sort things out. The Senate is elected to actually make sure that we get it right."