In late 1963 or early 1964 Neville, then editor of the UNSW student magazine Tharunka, met Richard Walsh, editor of its University of Sydney counterpart Honi Soit, as well as artist Martin Sharp. Neville and Walsh wanted to publish their own "magazine of dissent" and asked Sharp to become a contributor. The magazine was dubbed Oz.

Sydney Oz hit the streets on April Fool's Day, 1963. Its irreverent attitude was very much in the tradition of the student newspapers, but its growing public profile quickly made it a target for "the Establishment", and it soon became a prominent casualty of the so-called "Censorship Wars".

During the life of Australian Oz Sharp, Neville and Walsh were twice charged with printing an obscene publication. The first trial was relatively minor, and should have been a non-event, but they were poorly-advised and pleaded guilty, which resulted in their convictions being recorded. As a result, when they were charged with obscenity a second time, their previous convictions meant that the new charges were considerably more serious.

The charges centred on two items in the early issues of Oz -- one was Sharp's ribald poem "The Word Flashed Around The Arms", which satirised the contemporary habit of youths gatecrashing parties; the other offending item was the famous photo (used on the cover of Oz #6) which depicted Neville and two friends pretending to urinate into a Tom Bass sculptural wall fountain, set into the wall of the new P&O office in Sydney, which had recently been opened by Prime Minister Robert Menzies.

Sharp, Neville and Walsh were tried, found guilty and given prison sentences. Their convictions caused a public outcry and they were subsequently acquitted on appeal, but the so-called "Oz Three" realised that there was little future battling such strong opposition.

In late 1966 Neville and Sharp moved to the UK and in early 1967, with fellow Australian Jim Anderson, they founded the London Oz. This was most notable for the then-longest obscenity trial in UK history regarding the publication of the Schoolkids OZ (May 1970) issue; leading to the conviction of Neville, Anderson and Felix Dennis, later overturned on appeal. London Oz ended in November 1973.

For the next few years Neville travelled the world, reporting on youth cultures, social inventions and the shape of the future. He broadcast regularly on ABC Radio and wrote for an array of newspapers and magazines. In New York in 1977, Neville was commissioned to write a book about a serial killer incarcerated in Delhi, who preyed upon Western backpackers. The resulting biography of Charles Sobhraj, (co-authored by Julie Clarke) was a global best-seller. It inspired several TV docu-dramas.

In the 80s, Neville returned to Australia and joined the Nine Network’s popular Midday Show, where he reported on popular culture, wild ideas and the quest for sustainability. Richard’s segments often aroused controversy, such as when he inhaled marijuana on camera (to test its impact on driving). These segments evolved into the Network Ten series Extra Dimensions, looking at sustainability and human potential.

In the 90s, in a variety of media, Richard explored the new role for business in the 21st Century. This led to keynote addresses at national conferences, and the essay collection, Out of My Mind (Penguin). He also published his Sixties memoir, Hippie Hippie Shake, which has recently been adapted as a film, although both projects have been trenchantly criticised by Neville's former friend Germaine Greer.

Neville is also the co-founder of the Australian Futures Foundation, which aims to bring "futures thinking" into the mainstream.

Richard is now a principal at Sydney’s Neville Freeman agency.

In the television film The Trials of Oz (1991), Neville was played by Hugh Grant.

The Irish actor Cillian Murphy is currently filming Hippie Hippie Shake, in which he plays Neville. Produced by Working Title, the film is directed by Beeban Kidron, and co-stars Sienna Miller and Emma Booth. According to IMDB.com, it was due for release in the UK on 5 February 2010.