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Australian defense minister quitsFrom CNN's Grant Holloway  Senator Hill, right, with Prime Minister Howard last year. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSCANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- In a well-flagged move, Australia's long-serving Defense Minister Senator Robert Hill, has resigned from the parliament, opening the way for a ministerial reshuffle in the Howard coalition government. Hill, who has been a member of parliament for nearly 25 years, has been widely tipped to become Australia's next ambassador to the United Nations. However, Hill refused to confirm that appointment although he admitted he had "discussions about options." Defense Minister Hill was a leading moderate voice in the Howard administration and as Leader of the Senate was the third highest ranking member of the government. It is expected that the Prime Minister, John Howard, will use the resignation to initiate a wide-reaching rejuvenation of his Cabinet as his government approaches its 10-year anniversary in power. Finance Minister Nick Minchin is likely to replace Hill in the defense portfolio and as leader of the upper house, but what other changes will be made are less certain. "Robert Hill has been a close and valued colleague," Howard said in a statement released to media Friday. "He always enjoyed my full trust and I regularly sought his counsel on the difficult issues inevitably faced by a Government over nearly a decade in office." Hill told media Friday that the decision to resign had been his alone and he had been under no pressure from within the party to step down. As Minister for Defense, Hill presided over the Australian armed forces' contributions to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the ongoing commitment of troops in both those countries. Asked about the situation in Iraq, Hill said Baghdad would need continuing international support for "many years to come." He would not be drawn on a timetable for when Australian troops might be withdrawn from Iraq. Australia -- a staunch U.S. ally -- currently has 1,320 troops in and around Iraq, including a task force of 450 soldiers who are protecting Japanese military engineers engaged in humanitarian work in southern Iraq. Most recently, Hill announced that Australia would deploy 110 additional soldiers and two helicopters to Afghanistan, on top of the 190 Australian special forces troops already serving there. 
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