Director-General, Communities Services Directorate & Alexander

The case of *Director-General, Communities Services Directorate & Alexander* involved the Director-General of the Communities Services Directorate as the applicant, and Ms Alexander, Mr Mills, and Ms Cary as respondents. The central dispute concerned the exercise of jurisdiction by the Family Court of Australia in circumstances where parallel proceedings were already pending in the ACT Children's Court concerning the child, X.

The primary legal issue before Gill J was whether the Family Court of Australia should exercise its jurisdiction under the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth), specifically in light of section 69ZK, despite the ongoing proceedings in the ACT Children's Court. This required the court to consider the interplay between federal family law jurisdiction and state child protection jurisdiction.

Gill J reasoned that section 69ZK of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth) permits the Family Court to exercise its jurisdiction notwithstanding the pendency of proceedings in a state or territory court. The court determined that it was appropriate to exercise its jurisdiction in this instance. Consequently, the court declared that Ms Alexander was a person concerned with the care, welfare, and development of the child, X, and ordered that X live with Ms Alexander until further order.