THE 24/7 news cycle is putting unrealistic standards on politicians and discouraging people from participating in public life, a former Queensland premier has warned.

Peter Beattie, who served as Queensland's premier from 1998 to 2007, believes the constancy of the 24/7 news cycle and digital revolution has changed the way politics is covered by the media.

"One of the things it has actually done is exhaust politicians," Mr Beattie told the Sky News program, A Special Report on the State of Leadership in Australia, on Monday.

"They are constantly on beck and call, and frankly I don't care how smart anyone is, one day you will make a mistake."

When that happened, the mistake was publicly repeated again and again for the next three days, Mr Beattie said.

"That is putting standards on human beings ... it doesn't matter whether they are politicians or church leaders or cricket leaders ... which frankly is unrealistic."

To deal with living in a goldfish bowl, politicians did protect themselves by resorting to spin, Mr Beattie conceded.

"What are politicians going to do? You are in a bunker, you are being shot at every day. Of course you are going to find a way to deal with it. That is what politicians do. It's human instinct."

He expressed concern the pressure would lead to fewer people wanting to participate in public life, which would in turn result in "second raters" aiming for political careers.

"Out of that, you could end up with bad government," Mr Beattie said.

He was joined by a panel of other current and former leaders, including the influential media planner and buyer Harold Mitchell, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell, Father Chris Riley from Youth Off the Streets, Greens Senator Christine Milne and former Australian cricket captain Ian Chappell.

Cardinal Pell said good leaders needed to have good judgment. He was not convinced Australia's current political leaders had that quality.