Richards career began at the ABC, in 1983, when she was selected for the television producer training course. Two years later, Richards moved to New South Wales to work at Four Corners. Her career there lasted nine years; two years was spent as a reporter, another two as an associate producer, and five as a field producer.
Richards was responsible for the "re-vamping" of Lateline (an ABC program), and the Business Show (an SBS program). She was the executive producer of MediaWatch, and has produced several Australian Stories, and a documentary on lymphoma for the Leukemia Foundation of Australia.
Richards presented Earth Beat, and environmental program on Radio National for a short period of time. Richards left the program to have her first and only child.