Many years ago, surgeons weren’t doctors and so were called Mister (Mr) rather than Doctor (Dr). At that time, it was also unheard of for women to be doctors or surgeons! If you want to find out more about surgeons in the past, try googling “barber surgeons”. In some Australian states, when a male doctor becomes a surgeon, they choose to change their title from “Dr” to “Mr”. In other states they keep the title of “Dr”. It can get complicated for women surgeons who can be called Dr, Ms, Miss or Mrs. Dr Clancy chooses to keep the title “Doctor (Dr)”. Lots of kids and some adults get confused when doctors aren’t called “Doctor”. As a feminist, Dr Clancy also prefers a title that is the same for men as for women surgeons.
To add to the confusion, anyone (even a child) can call themselves “Doctor”. There is no law preventing it. If you are choosing to see a health practitioner than uses the title of “Doctor” you can look them up on the AHPRA website to find out whether they really are a doctor.