The higher education sector is being eroded by “endless tweaking” from politicians, a leading figure in tertiary education has claimed.

In a speech at the national press club on Wednesday, Universities Australia CEO Belinda Robinson compared the “instability” and “unpredictability” in the industry to the plot of the movie ‘127 Hours’, in which the protagonist is forced to cut off his own arm to escape.

“It is impossible to imagine that any industry would tolerate this level of insecurity,” Ms Robinson said.

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“Endless tweaking of funding rates make planning for this industry impossible.”

Her frustration was directed chiefly at the federal government, which has attempted unsuccessfully since last year’s budget to deregulate higher education.

In a last ditch effort to pass the unpopular measure, Education Minister Christopher Pyne has threatened to cut $150 million in research funding if deregulation does not pass the Senate.

Eight of Universities Australia’s members, which are the nation’s top learning institutions, have launched paid advertisements to label Mr Pyne’s decision as “dumb”.

“We’ll pay a very significant price indeed if we let these [research] facilities go,” Ms Robinson told ABC radio earlier in the day.

During her speech, the CEO acknowledged that Australians universities are some of the best in the world, but pointed out that the nation ranks 30 out of 31 for higher education funding among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

“Is it reasonable to ask the families of our region to fund universities because the government will not,” she said.

Ms Robinson concluded with another reference to the ‘127 Hours’ film.

“We can emerge from a rock and a hard place without damaging ourselves in the process.”