It is easy to get lost in the basement of Parliament House.

The spread-out subterranean concrete maze, where all the corridors look the same, allows the building to function properly.

It is used by cleaners, technicians and, in today's case, AFP investigators conducting a search warrant.

The hunt for those who leaked information from within the National Broadband Network is one of the most politically charged investigations in recent times.

When news broke this morning that police would be executing a search warrant at Parliament House, a Kafkaesque situation was triggered underneath the building.

Two plain-clothed AFP investigators arrived at the lower entrance, where they were met by staffers of former Labor communications spokesman Stephen Conroy.

A sizeable contingent of radio, television and print reporters and crews shadowed the group as they entered the basement.

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While Australia's biggest media organisations have their own corridor — the Press Gallery — in Parliament House, they are banned from filming in most areas.

So journalists and TV crews were allowed to follow the AFP officers as they trekked through the underground space, as long as they were not recording.

Eventually, the mere presence of reporters was brought into question, leading to a bizarre underground standoff.

Initially, the reporters and camera crews were told they were allowed to stand in the corridor, as long as they did not film the proceedings.

And then journalists were told they were in a "private area" and being there "for media purposes" was not allowed.

But if they were in transit, they were technically allowed to stay?

And so, there was an impasse on the corner of Argyle and Bourke Streets — names assigned to the lengthy underground corridors to prevent people from getting lost.

On one side of the corridor, more than 20 members of the media.

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On the other, the AFP, Stephen Conroy's staffers and numerous Department of Parliamentary Services officials.

To complicate matters, a 32-page handbook governing the rules and restrictions on the media did not implicitly apply to the basement areas of Parliament House, leading parliamentary staff to suggest a blanket ban.

After lengthy negotiations with parliamentary officials, the media were allowed to briefly film the AFP officers inside the building, as they walked in front of the cameras and then down Bourke St out of sight.

Crews were then escorted out of the basement, unsure of what they had filmed, who they had filmed and what had happened behind the closed door.

The AFP investigators refused to comment on the investigation, but sent a statement through head office.

"All material seized during this warrant will be handled in accordance with the provisions and guidelines relating to parliamentary privilege," it said.

"The AFP is satisfied that it is acting lawfully in accordance with relevant legislation and guidelines."