Kathy Jackson union theft charges case

THE CASE - WHO AND WHAT:

* Kathy Jackson - former Health Services Union boss and one-time whistleblower on union corruption.

* Jackson is fighting charges in Melbourne Magistrates' Court she allegedly stole almost $500,000 of funds from the union by passing off personal transactions as work expenses between 2003 and 2011.

SNAPSHOT OF CHARGES:

* 70 theft and deception offences in total - but more charges could be added, according to prosecutors.

* Some of the alleged spending was on airlines and hotels in Hong Kong, Las Vegas and New York.

* Charged in August 2016 by Taskforce Heracles, a joint Victoria and Australian Federal Police operation investigating matters arising from the Royal Commission into Trade Union Corruption and Governance.

THE DEFENCE:

* Jackson's defence says her union spending was legitimate.

* They plan to cross-examine more to 60 witnesses at a four-week committal hearing beginning on November 13.

* The committal hearing will determine whether Jackson should stand trial, which means the court case could continue into 2018.