THE ''four horsemen of the anti-apocalypse'', the world's most prominent atheists, will share a public platform for the first time in Melbourne next year in an event partly funded by the state government.

The Global Atheist Convention, ''A Celebration of Reason'', will host authors Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris, the four champions of the so-called ''new atheism''.

The Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau has confirmed that state government funding will be provided to the convention, which they expect to attract 2500 people.

Tourism Minister Louise Asher said this was the result of a decision of the Brumby government in June last year. She told The Sunday Age that the topics of conventions was not relevant to the decision about whether to fund them: ''It's how many delegates are coming and will it have an economic impact.''

The Atheist Foundation of Australia complained in 2010 because their first convention, held that year, received no funding, while the Parliament of the World's Religions, held the same year, received $2 million.