The Hawke-Keating agenda was Laborism, not neoliberalism, and is still a guiding light | Wayne Swan

If centre-left parties wish to escape the poison of trickle-down policies, they should look to the real outcomes of policies implemented from 1983 onwards

Language in politics is a fraught business. Certain terms and words are thrown around so often and so easily that they can lose their punch, if not their meaning.

Guardian Australia's recent article "Australian Labor led centre-left parties into neoliberalism. Can they lead it out?" had at its core a grossly erroneous claim - that the Hawke-Keating governments were the tip of the arrow for neoliberalism, globally and at home.

Related: Neoliberalism 'has run its course', says ACTU boss Sally McManus

Related: As the trickledown juggernaut rolls on, it's time to rejuvenate the middle class | Wayne Swan

Related: Flogging the dead horse of neoliberalism isn't going to improve the economy | Greg Jericho