Rachael is a multimedia journalist, editor and media educator living in Naarm (Melbourne) on stolen Boon Wurrung country, Kulin Nation. She returned in early 2020 after living in Lenapehoking (New York City) for around 6 years.
Since 2020 Rachael has been the Australian and Pacific correspondent for NPR news, filing regular breaking news reports covering politics, health, the environment and business. Her multimedia reports have been broadcast on NPR, WNYC, PRI, ABC Australia’s Radio National, Deutsche Welle, Democracy Now!, SBS Radio Australia, Free Speech Radio News, Feet in 2 Worlds, and 3CR Radio. Articles she has written have been published in NPR’s The Salt, The Age newspaper and New Matilda. She has also edited podcasts for Schwartz media’s 7am and Foreign policy.
She currently produces a variety of programs at ABC Radio National. She also teaches audio storytelling at Monash University. The course covers an introduction to sound recording, interviews, editing, sound design and features.
Rachael graduated from The University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree majoring in international studies and politics and a Diploma in Modern Languages. She also completed a Master in Media Studies at The New School University in New York City.
From 2015-2018 she was the managing editor for Feet in Two Worlds, a news website and journalism training project publishing stories by and about immigrant communities in the U.S.
In 2019 she was managing editor of Indykids, a newspaper written by and for kids. She is also co-developing a new project called The Grandparents StoryLab, an intergenerational storytelling project that connects New York City's youngest and oldest generations through podcasts and art.
In 2020 she co-set up MedicGuild, a medical education website. In her role as editor in chief, she manages and edits all content as well as mentors and trains doctors and medical students in writing, podcasting and multimedia production.
Before coming to New York, Rachael worked for many years as a project manager in multilingual and multicultural community broadcasting around Australia with the NEMBC as well as in community development more broadly. These roles included media education, community engagement, event management and social policy research.
She has also worked in and collaborated with a number of community organisations including The Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling, RISE Refugees, Survivors and Ex-Detainees, Burji Arts, Democracy Now!, Rev- /People’s Production House (NYC), MASA Education Initiative (NYC), The Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria and Express Media. Rachael also served on the Board of Management at the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition (VIRWC) from 2009-2012.