Our people
Mayela Garcia
Principal
Mayela is a specialist in developing and implementing economic frameworks to analyse the impacts of regulation, government policies and programs, organisations and projects. This involves the extensive use of economic tools such as Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models and Input-Output (IO) models.
About Mayela
Mayela has been an economic advisor to government and business for over twenty years. Her work has given her practical experience in a wide variety of industries and topics including energy, health, innovation, research and development, taxation and property and construction.
A particular theme of Mayela’s work in recent years has been regulatory impact analysis and regulatory reform, having led the preparation of numerous Regulatory Impact Statements (RISs) complying with the Commonwealth’s Office of Impact Analysis, and state and territory guidelines.
Mayela's major projects have included:
- cost benefit analyses of key energy policies and programs, including for:
- regulation related to disclosure of residential energy efficiency information and minimum energy efficiency standards for new and existing buildings
- several energy efficiency and renewable energy programs
- advice on the design and impacts of several energy efficiency and renewable energy programs to achieve net zero emissions across different jurisdictions
- regulatory impact statements for:
- increased energy efficiency requirements in the National Construction Code for new residential and commercial buildings
- proposed single-use plastic bans in various jurisdictions
- a number of health regulations
- the development of various frameworks to assist policymakers in making policy decisions, including:
- a strategic framework to identify appropriate policy measures to support different types of households to manage their electricity bills
- a number of frameworks to evaluate different streams of impacts from a major climate change program (including social, health, energy market and market transformation impacts)
- advice on the capacity and needs of different consumers to participate in a two-sided energy market
- several studies evaluating the economic impacts of major research programs and organisations.
Prior to joining the firm, Mayela was a Director at the economic consulting firm Econtech and a Senior Economist with the Centre for International Economics (CIE).
Mayela has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM), a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) and a Master of Economics from the University of Sydney.
Projects
- ARC Training Centre for Automated Manufacture of Advanced Composites
- Waterproofing provisions in NCC 2025: Impact analysis of proposed changes
- Private Health Facilities Regulation 2024: Regulatory Impact Statement
- Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2023
- Proposed ban of a third tranche of single-use plastic items Regulatory Impact Statement
- Impact assessment of ARC-funded research
- National Construction Code 2022: Decision RIS for a proposal to increase residential building energy efficiency requirements
- Barriers and enablers for rewarding consumers for access to flexible DER and energy use: Rapid evidence review
- NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub evaluation
- Consumer costs and economic benefits for Renewable Energy Sector Board’s Plan
- Cost benefit analysis of proposed changes to the standards for energy use and thermal performance in BASIX
- National Construction Code 2022: Consultation RIS for a proposal to increase residential building energy efficiency requirements
- Minimum standards for residential rental properties
- Public Health Regulation 2022: Regulation Impact Statement
- Economic impact of the University of Sydney
- Streamlining for Growth Evaluation Framework