Almost 10 per cent of would-be school teachers have failed numeracy and literacy tests.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham said while the results of the federal government test had improved since 2015, it showed the examination was necessary to stop under-skilled graduates from teaching future generations.
"It's clear that when nearly one in 20 initial teacher education students are not meeting the expected minimum level of literacy and numeracy skills, that the test provides a level of quality-assurance for schools, principals and families," he said.
The 2016 results showed an average 92.6 per cent pass rate for literacy and 91 per cent pass rate for numeracy - a slight improvement on 2015 results.
Senator Birmingham said the pass rates rose to 95 per cent for literacy and 94 per cent for numeracy when considering students who sat the test multiple times.
